Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs Matchup Preview (1/23/22): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs Matchup Preview (1/23/22)

For the second time this season, the Buffalo Bills are headed to Arrowhead Stadium to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. This game comes almost a year after the Bills were wildly defeated by the Chiefs in the AFC championship game last season and just weeks after the Bills returned the favor in week 5 of this year. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives the Bills the edge, giving them a 52.1% chance to make the conference championship; however, oddsmakers favor the Chiefs. Both teams will be looking for redemption in this game – the Bills handed the Chiefs one of two losses on their home field this year and the Chiefs embarrassed the Bills last year in the conference championship, so stakes are very high. Since their last meeting, both teams have hit their stride on offense so I’d expect to see a different game plan from both teams this time around, but competitive nonetheless. The winner of this game will play the winner of the Bengals-Titans game in the AFC conference championship; both teams that have beat the Chiefs this season. 

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs Betting Odds

The Chiefs are a 2.5-point favorite in this game and the over/under is a staggering 56.5. The high point total makes sense as both teams have scored at least 27 points in their last five games and seem to be the two hottest offenses in the league right now. The Bills are 10-6-2 ATS this year and 2-1 as the away underdog, which includes their win against the Chiefs in week 5. Compliments of the Bills, they hit over their 57 point total in this game as well, which they’ve done 50% of the time this year. The Chiefs are 9-9 ATS this year, most likely due to the beginning of the season’s woes but have also failed to cover twice in their last three games, while the Bills have covered in two of their last three games. 

This is a tough call considering how many peaks and valleys these teams have seen this year. But while they both have an elite quarterback that can command an offense, only one has a reliable defense, and in a game like this, the defense that can shut an offense down is the one that takes the cake (unless Josh Allen doesn’t show up). I just can’t trust the Chiefs to shut down a prepared Josh Allen, especially given the emergence of his running game and how good his offensive line has been at protecting him recently. I’m calling the Bills to upset the Chiefs with frustration in their veins from last year’s conference championship.

My predictions: Bills win 31-28, Bills cover, over 56.5

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, January 23
Time: 6:30 PM ET
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, MO
TV Coverage: CBS

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs Live Stream

Where can you watch Bills vs. Chiefs online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Bills vs. Chiefs Free Online Now.

Buffalo Bills Analysis

Last week against the New England Patriots, Josh Allen may have had the best outing of his career and the best we’ve seen of any quarterback this year. He threw for 308 yards and five touchdowns boasting an 84% completion rate and tacking on another 66 yards on the run. In essence, he had more touchdown passes than he did incompletions. He was precise and purposeful with every play and never once doubted that that would be the outcome of the game. Their win last week puts them in a five-game winning streak and great momentum heading into this matchup against the Chiefs. This offense is averaging 33.4 points over their win streak, in part due to the emergence of their run game. Devin Singletary has at least one touchdown in all of those games and Josh Allen has notched an additional 300 yards on the run. 

The Chiefs run defense ranks 21st in yards against and their pass defense ranks 27th in yards against, which gives the Bills some flexibility in how they want to attack as an offense. Stefon Diggs can cause issues for this secondary alongside Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox who have proved useful over the season, but they still have Allen and Singletary as running threats if they need it. 

When the Bills went to Arrowhead in week 5, they took them down 38-20 and the Bills defense is a big reason why – they forced four turnovers. The one big difference between now and then is the Bills’ loss of all-pro cornerback Tre’Davious White. While it certainly doesn’t help to count him out against the Chiefs, the Bills have done just fine. Their defense still ranks No.1 in points per game, yards per game, points per play, yards per play, touchdowns per game, and allowing third down conversions. They allow just 272.8 yards of total offense and 17 points per game. Threats like Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, and Taron Johnson should cause problems for a pass-heavy Chiefs offense, but their job won’t be easy against Hill and Kelce.

Buffalo Bills Depth Chart

QB: Josh Allen
RB1: Devin Singletary
RB2: Zack Moss
WR1: Stefon Diggs
WR2: Cole Beasley
WR3: Emmanuel Sanders
TE1: Dawson Knox

Kansas City Chiefs Analysis

To no surprise, the Kansas City Chiefs have made it to the divisional round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. They’re coming off an annihilation of the Steelers where Patrick Mahomes threw for 404 yards, five touchdowns, and had a 77% completion percentage. There are few offenses in the league that have kept pace with this when you have an elite quarterback like Mahomes complemented by the likes of Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, and Byron Pringle. Last week against the Steelers, Kelce hauled in 108 yards and a touchdown on just five catches. He had a similar outing in last year’s conference championship against the Bills, where he caught 118 yards and two touchdowns. This offense has scored at least 28 points in their last five games and have the best third down conversion rate (53%) in the league. If they lose this game, it will NOT be because of the offense. 

It will be because of the defense – which has been their central issue all year, despite showing bright spots here and there. They sit in 19th place in rushing yards against them per game, and that’s the good news. They allow the seventh-most passing yards against them per game (248.6) and their secondary has just about killed them this year, which is grounds for disaster against Josh Allen. At one point in the season, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert threw for a combined 651 passing yards and six touchdowns against this defense. 

But we can’t count them out on their defense alone, obviously. Their defense has struggled all year and yet they still sit at 13-5 and won the AFC West. They just have to minimize defensive mistakes and protect Mahomes so he can do his thing and they can win this game.

Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart

QB: Patrick Mahomes
RB1: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
RB2: Darrell Williams
WR1: Tyreek Hill
WR2: Mecole Hardman
WR3: Byron Pringle
TE1: Travis Kelce