Chiefs-Bills reaction, Russell Wilson injury, NFL power rankings and more

After plastering the Kansas City Chiefs in front of the nation, the Buffalo Bills are the new favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVI.

If you took bets on which team will represent the AFC most in Super Bowls over the next decade, most cash would come in on the Kansas City Chiefs.

But for this year, anybody still placing money on Patrick Mahomes and Co. is losing it.

On Sunday night, the Chiefs fell to 2-3 in a rain-soaked defeat to the Buffalo Bills. In the first half, quarterback Josh Allen lit up Kansas City for 219 yards and two touchdowns on seven completions. Buffalo also ran for 70 yards and scored 24 points, before finishing off the Chiefs to the tune of 38-20. The second half was largely maintaining the lead, with an 85-yard touchdown drive sprinkled in to cap the win.

While Kansas City’s offense will continue to be great this year, its defense will erase its meaning. The Chiefs are dead last in a litany of defensive categories, and there’s little help in sight. The unit looks old and slow because it is old and slow, and while defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will likely make some positive corrections, there’s no scheme that hides everything.

After two years of lording over the AFC, Kansas City is akin to a wounded animal. It remains dangerous, but it’s ultimately going to lose the battle. The Chiefs will stagger forward and perhaps even get hot against a favorable stretch of the schedule, but the defense is the mortal wound which won’t heal. Eventually, it’ll prove fatal.

As for the Bills, they’ve put the most complete team together in football. General manager Brandon Beane has drafted splendidly in recent years, landing Allen, corner Tre’Davious White, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, tight end Dawson Knox and running back Devin Singletary.

Buffalo is fast and athletic on both sides of the ball. It can strike from anywhere and the defense looks fantastic after being mediocre in 2020. The Bills were a game away from their first Super Bowl appearance since 1993 a year ago and fell to the Chiefs decisively in the AFC title game. Fast forward eight months, and Buffalo has taken a few steps forward. Kansas City has tumbled back.

For the Bills, this is their moment. They play one of the league’s easiest schedules over the last 12 weeks in a division already presumed over. Buffalo should nab the AFC’s only bye in the postseason and will need just two wins with an incredible home-field advantage to play for the Lombardi Trophy.

And while it seems Buffalo will have a long window — and it should — just ask Kansas City how fleeting they can be. While the Chiefs will certainly be back and soon, they’re looking at a wasted campaign with Mahomes in his prime. Not because of injury, but poor drafting on the defensive combined with misses in free agency.

And for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, he’ll face a similar challenge to the one he aced after the 2018 AFC Championship Game, when he dismantled his defense and rebuilt it in an offseason. Of course, that defense was a huge part of Kansas City’s first title in 50 years. Veach has proven to be one of the league’s best talent evaluators. He’ll get it right, but this year, it seems a lost cause.

Still, Sunday night isn’t about the Chiefs. It’s about the Bills, a snakebitten franchise which has finally put all the pieces together. Buffalo showcased its strength on a national stage and will get another opportunity on Monday when it visits the Tennessee Titans.

In short, the Bills are the bully right now. Everyone else is the punching bag.

The AFC is no longer running through Kansas City. It may return there in the future, but in 2021, it’s Buffalo’s to lose.

Power rankings

Top 10 NFL unbreakable records

1. Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers — 201 consecutive starts
2. Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys — 18,355 rushing yards
3. Chicago Bears — Scoring 73 points in one game
4. Browns reaching six consecutive NFL Championship Games
5. Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers — 22,895 receiving yards
6. 1984 Chicago Bears — 72 sacks
7. Tom Brady, Patriots/Buccaneers — 7 Super Bowl wins
8. 1984 Washington Redskins — +43 turnover ratio
9. 1988-90 San Francisco 49ers — 18 consecutive road wins
10. Steve O’Neal, New York Jets — 98-yard punt

Quotable

“In my younger days, I probably would have never showed you guys. I’d probably try to keep it a secret. But, I think, at my old age, I don’t care so much. It’s just kind of a football injury, so I’ll do my best to get ready for this game — we’ll see what happens.”

– Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady on his injured thumb

Five touchdowns later, the thumb seems to be alright.

Podcast

Random stat

Steve DeBerg retired after the 1993 season with the Miami Dolphins at age 39. Incredibly, DeBerg was coaxed back to football in ’98, when the Atlanta Falcons needed a backup.

Atlanta reached Super Bowl XXXIII, making the 45-year-old DeBerg the oldest player to ever grace a Super Bowl roster.

Info learned this week

1. Russell Wilson injury sends Seahawks into brutal spot

The Seattle Seahawks might be finished. And they’ll have nothing to show for it.

In fact, worse than nothing. They’ll have Jamal Adams and his contract.

With Wilson out 4-8 weeks with a finger injury sustained against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, Seattle is 2-3 and facing a brutal climb in the loaded NFC West. While a month without Wilson might not finish off the Seahawks’ hope for a wild card berth, smart money has them outside the playoff picture.

Should Seattle crater, it doesn’t have its first-round pick after sending it to the New York Jets in exchange for Adams. And Adams, who has been one of the league’s biggest liabilities in coverage this season, is due another $75.4 million as he’s in the first year of a five-year, $80 million deal.

The Seahawks had a chance to beat the Rams and reach second place in the NFC West. Now they appear sunk, and with issues galore ahead.

2. Trey Lance struggles through air as Cardinals remain unbeaten

The highlights were there. The every-down substance was not.

For San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance, it was a rough debut against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. In a 17-10 loss, the North Dakota State product threw for 192 yards and an interception on 15-of-29 passing. However, Lance also added 89 rushing yards, providing much of San Francisco’s offense.

If Jimmy Garoppolo can return from his calf injury after the bye week, it’s likely to happen. Garoppolo is the better player with a lower ceiling, but for a team hoping to reach the postseason, he’s the better option in the short term.

If Lance does remain under center, he’ll need to remain patient in the pocket and go through progressions. Like most rookies, he was rushed at times, occasionally by his own doing. If head coach Kyle Shanahan can get the game to slow for Lance, he’ll have a star.

3. Chargers-Browns turns from wild shootout to referendum on Baker Mayfield

The Cleveland Browns scored 42 points against the Los Angeles Chargers … and lost.

It’s never fair to blame a quarterback when his defense allows nearly 500 yards and 47 points, but that’ll be the talk radio take on Monday morning and beyond. Mayfield went for 305 yards and two touchdowns, and yet the enduring memory will be a failed four-minute drive that went three-and-out, followed by one of the worst two-minute drills ever witnessed.

Mayfield is playing for a mega contract, and efforts like these — productive but marred by mistakes and defeat — won’t get him one. The Browns have a great offense line and rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns. It’s a quarterback’s dream. Cleveland was also up 14 points in the third quarter. The defense is the main culprit for the defeat, but a few late plays by Mayfield would have gone a long way towards victory.

This is the same thing we saw in Kansas City, when the Browns lost a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. After not punting all afternoon, Cleveland was throttled on its penultimate drive and allowing the Chiefs to rip off two unanswered touchdowns before Mayfield threw a game-ending pick in the final two minutes.

Mayfield doesn’t wear the main share of the blame, but he’ll be the scapegoat for a fanbase wanting more.

4. Raiders come out flat in loss following Gruden’s ugly week

The Las Vegas Raiders were darlings. Now they’re looking like dolts.

On Sunday, the Raiders lost 20-9 to the Chicago Bears, and it somehow wasn’t the worst part of their week. Two days earlier, the Wall Street Journal published a piece detailing a racist email sent in 2011 by Gruden, who was an ESPN commentator for Monday Night Football at the time.

The email launched a slur at NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, something Gruden and the Raiders have responded to since the article.

While it’s unknown if the league is going to eventually fine and/or suspend Gruden for his comments, it remains a cloud hanging over the organization. Did it matter on Sunday? Who knows, but Las Vegas was terrible in its loss from start to finish.

If the NFL doesn’t discipline Gruden, it sends an awful message. Gruden may not have been a league employee when he sent the email, but he is now. The language used towards Smith is wholly unacceptable and commissioner Roger Goodell needs to make it clear. While the coach likely keeps his job, he should lose a few paychecks.

5. Ravens-Colts finish week in important AFC tilt

Remember when the Baltimore Ravens were done after their summer injuries? Not so much.

Baltimore has won three straight after losing the season opener in Las Vegas, and now welcomes in the one-win Indianapolis Colts. For the Ravens, it’s an opportunity to stay atop the AFC North while positioning themselves for a run at the lone AFC bye week come January. For Indy, it’s another borderline must-win after beginning 0-3.

The game could largely come down to whether Colts quarterback Carson Wentz can exploit Baltimore’s secondary, which has been terrific the last two weeks. The Ravens are without Marcus Peters on the outside, but the Colts are sans receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Who wins the matchup on the perimeter? Through four games, Indianapolis’ leading receiver is Michael Pittman with 279 yards. Nobody else has 160. If the Colts are going to pull the upset, someone must step up.

Gambler’s game

Next week, the Minnesota Vikings visit the Carolina Panthers. Both have plenty on the line.

For Carolina, it’s the chance for redemption after falling apart against the Philadelphia Eagles. At the least, it’s an opportunity to gain ground in the wild card race. For the Vikings, a win gets them to 3-3 and back to square as the weather begins to turn, with a tiebreaker on the Panthers.

With the game opening as a PICK’EM at WynnBet, take the hosts. Better team, better defense and at home. Somehow laying less than three? All day.

Two cents

The film never lies. Ever. Take a look at this touchdown run for Derrick Henry during the Tennessee Titans’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars:

Jacksonville is 0-5, and the effort is appalling. Watch the linebackers specifically. No urgency to make a play, to shed a block. Nothing. That’s a direct message of quitting on a coach.

After all that went on with Urban Meyer over the past 10 days, perhaps the Ohio State legend isn’t earning back the players’ trust and respect. The Jaguars have now lost 20 straight games with no relief coming, and if the team is already playing without a care, it’s both an indictment and indication of what is to come.

Inside the league

Spencer Rattler has been talked about as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 Draft.

Then, on Saturday against Texas, the Oklahoma quarterback was benched in the first half before the Sooners allied for a 55-48 win. On the year, Rattler has thrown for 1,371 yards with 10 touchdowns against five interceptions, hardly numbers to brag about in the no-defense Big 12.

With Rattler’s stock sinking, one high-ranking personnel executive I spoke with over the weekend believed it typified the incoming quarterback class. While it’s early, the executive believed the combination of poor options in the draft plus the varying situations regarding Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo could make for a wild trade market this offseason. It’s an interesting point to consider.

While Garoppolo would fetch the least of the four — depending on Watson’s legal situation — the 49ers could likely get a nice haul with the veteran under contract at a cap hit of $27 million next year. Of course, Rodgers and Wilson would both get multiple first-round picks and then some if dealt, with a bidding war ensuing for both. Projecting Watson is impossible, although it’s more likely he nets a return like Wilson and Rodgers, and less like Garoppolo.

If your team needs a quarterback next winter, there will be many options. Just not the typical ones.

History lesson

In 1975, the AFC Central was one of the league’s greatest divisions ever.

The defending-champion Pittsburgh Steelers went 12-2, winning out over the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Oilers and Cincinnati Bengals, who finished 11-3 and 10-4, respectively. The difference? Pittsburgh swept both foes.

It was the first instance of three teams winning double-digit games in the same season. Houston was the hard-luck squad, missing the playoffs while Cincinnati earned the AFC’s lone wild card.

The Bengals didn’t last long, beaten by the Raiders in the last game Paul Brown ever coached. Pittsburgh took care of Oakland the following week to reach Super Bowl X, where it beat the Cowboys, 21-18.

Parting shot

Schedules and the sequencing of them matters. Just ask the Denver Broncos.

After beating the Giants, Jaguars and Jets to begin the year — who were a combined 2-10 entering this weekend — the Broncos welcomed Baltimore to town. Denver was handled 23-7 and then traveled to Pittsburgh for a date with the 1-3 Steelers. Pittsburgh won 27-19.

At 3-2, the Broncos’ start is increasingly looking like a mirage. With the Raiders visiting Denver in Week 6, it’s a massive game for both sides. Four days later, Denver goes to Cleveland on Thursday night.

In the strong AFC West, the Broncos did what they needed to over the first three weeks. They beat bad teams and set themselves up for success. However, Denver doesn’t have a top-tier quarterback and with ample injuries, the margin for error is nil.

The easy start was fun in Denver. Reality might be setting in.