THERE’S SOMETHING MISSING for the Bills 🧐 Stephen A.’s thoughts ahead of Chiefs matchup | First Take

THERE’S SOMETHING MISSING for the Bills 🧐 Stephen A.’s thoughts ahead of Chiefs matchup | First Take

The Chiefs and the Bills set to face off in another colossal matchup this weekend. Both of these superstar quarterbacks have had moments so far this season, but neither has their team in first place in their respective divisions. Here’s Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen on renewing this storied rivalry. Every single game comes down to like one play here or there that uh someone has to make if that’s offense, defense, whatever it is. And so, um, I think it just comes down to to players making plays in big moments and that and that’s kind of worked out for us in the playoffs and, um, worked out for them in other times. Every game is different. Every year is different. Everything presents itself in a different way. Nothing that happened last year, the year before, or the year before that carries over or matters this week. Um, you know, they’re they got a lot of they got a lot of guys that returned from last year’s squad, but they got some new guys, you know, and uh, you know, they’re they’re doing some different things. We’re doing some different things. Um, but at the end of the day, you know, we got to we have to come out and play the best football that we can play. All due respect to Ravens, Dolphins, this is the matchup I think everyone’s looking at in the AFC. This will be the 10th meeting between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, including the playoffs. Allen, of course, is 4- in the regular season, but Mahomes is 4-0 in January against Allen and the Bills. Can I just say this before we move on to the football topic? Every time I see that man, Josh Allen, because he’s phenomenal, he’s great. Every time I see him, I’m thinking about his wife, Haley Steinfeld. What an actress. What? She’s She’s She’s phenomenal. She was amazing. She’s phenomenal. She What an actress. She did. That woman is special. I just wanted to say that. Every time I see him, everybody talk about Travis C. Damn it. Hel Steinfeld. You loved her in love sinners. She was amazing. Perfect. She was perfect. She grit. She She True Grit. Amazing. She I will say I will say this though, too. Josh Allen’s different now that he’s married. He he he did he did not play not play he did a spot with uh Marty Smith and he talked about just like he just talked about like how it changed his life like it was all about football and you do wonder like there different ways that take you that puts you dialed in all the way or you say you know what it doesn’t have to be only this in my life and so it’ll be interesting to see how that he’s a good dude but Josh Allen’s a really really good guy but she is special. I’m talking about as a talent. She is really, really special. Super talent. I haven’t seen Sinners to the game to the football game. All right. What do you got? What’s the question? Is this a must-win for Allen and the Bills? There’s no doubt about it. This is a must-win. This team is not going to the Super Bowl if they have to go on the road to get to the Super Bowl. Teams got to come through Western New York. I simply go back to last year. If you go back to the fourth down that happened in Buffalo, Josh, against the Kansas City Chiefs, the run seals the game. And then I go to the playoff game on the road in Kansas City in that fourth down when everybody’s like, “Oh my gosh, Steve brings the pressure. They run the blitz. Josh on fourth down, he’s running for his life, launches that toaster up and concaid tries to make a catch on the ball.” For the Buffalo Bills, the way that this football team plays specifically on offense and the way that they use motions, try to gather information, all that stuff. They got to be at home. This is a team right now defensively that’s very average. at Oliver being out. It’s a big deal if they want to get to the Super Bowl and uh finally get past that hump in the playoffs. This is a game they have to win because they have to make teams come through Western New York. Doesn’t matter if they win or not. This ain’t a Super Bowl team. The Buffalo The Buffalo Bills are not a Super Bowl team. Why? The Buffalo Bills aren’t the team we’ve seen since Joe Brady has taken over. Now, I know everybody’s going to look at last week and the success that we saw from Cook, right? Over 200 yards, the touchdowns, the dynamic plays, and say, “Oh, wait. They’re back.” No, that’s not that’s not true, right? That’s the Carolina Panthers on the road. This is the Kansas City Chiefs. They aren’t making the plays on the outside. You talked about the Pittsburgh Steelers needing to make an acquisition to add a skilled player. I think it’s the same thing for the Buffalo Bills and the defense that we’ve seen year after year. Normally, no, no, they’re banged up, right? They had eight, I think it was eight players missing from this team. They’re a little bit healthier now against the So, they’re a little bit healthier, but now you lose Ed Oliver who has been the lone playmaker in the interior of that defensive line this season. I I look at I look at this game and I say, “Okay, we talked about it earlier, right here. Here are the people who have worked a certain amount of money. 2025 Steelers defense $175 million. Stephen A probably more million dollar and Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Josh Allen, in my opinion, can’t even be himself on this team. This team, he he isn’t good enough to raise the level of this team to where if they get in the playoffs, whether it’s played in Orchard Park or if it’s played in Arrowhead, that they find a way to win. He did last year. I mean, this is basically the same team. This team is not playing the same level. May not be playing the same way, but it’s same way. But it’s in many cases the same people. I mean, offensively really the only different pieces. Matt Collins is in New York or excuse me, New England, but they added Josh Palmer. So, I agree with you on the perimeter thing. Palmer’s got to be a healthy part. Josh has got to play better. Josh is not playing as well this year, certainly as he did last year, but is he good enough to carry and bring them up? Absolutely. Yeah, but but this is what bothers me. Uh when cuz again, and I’m dead serious. I know I joke around. I’m brilliant because I know I’m not a listen to those who are and I but I mean it. You understand what I’m saying? So, I’m watching y’all all the time talk about this and we where I’m where I’m addressing it, Dan, is the level of consistency. A lot of times you’ll see an ability. Okay, I got that part. The guy can play. Josh Palmer, he can play. King K, he can play. You know, girl, he can play. I got it. I understand it. James Cook averages six yards a carry. Got the number one rushing attack in football right now. I got all of that, right? But when you watch the Buffalo Bills right now, there’s something missing compared to what we’ve seen when they were challenging for the Super Bowl before when they were AFC Championship game last year. When you watch them when you’ve watched Josh Allen go up against Patrick Mahomes and even though he’s 0 and4 averaging 28 points per game in those postseason games, you a play here or there if you catch I mean if it goes your way it could change the You mean there’s something missing this year? I’m I’m looking at a Buffalo Billiz and I agree with RC. They’re a good football team, but I don’t see the same I don’t see the same. They’ve had three prime time games. The Patriots beat them in one. They gave up 40 points to the Ravens. Then we just watched the Atlanta Falcons. You were on the call. Atlanta Falcons went up and down the field. I can’t see the Can a Can a Buffalo Bills win? Sure. But it’s a pick them game against New England. You wouldn’t favor them against Kansas City. You wouldn’t favor them against Indie. You look at them right now and before you we we we had ourselves looking at Kansas City, Baltimore, Buffalo, that was what we’ve looked at over the last couple of years. Now we see a couple of other teams come into the fray and we’re saying, you know what, they they could beat. But tell me this though, also too though, you are and it’s it’s what we’re supposed to do, right? We’re historians of the game. You’re letting the history of Shawn McDermott and Josh Allen play into what you believe they can become, right? What what what you believe can happen if they play at their highest level, right? If they reach reach their peak. If Josh Allen is the Josh Allen we saw last year, he’s not because they won’t let him be. The the the guy that played against the Atlanta Falcons in prime time wasn’t the Josh Allen that wanted to protect the ball at all cost last year. Wasn’t the Josh Allen that felt like, “Okay, now I can use my legs to make a play, but I don’t have to all the time.” He’s pressing because the team is not good. Yeah. But the way we talk about this team has to have some uh u historical context like because of who they have been both as individual talents and as a team when most of the team is back. I feel like everyone’s talking about Buffalo like they’ve taken this massive step back. They haven’t. They haven’t been healthy, specifically on the defensive side. They’ve got Maxwell Haristston, their first round pick, just started playing last week. Their linebackers are banged up. So, they’re finally getting a little bit healthier on defense. Let’s Michael Hoy just became part of their football team essentially. So, like, let’s let the defense get some of the pieces healthy. Cool. But if we looked at Dan Oski and we said, “Who you favoring?” No, no, no, no. Let me ask you this. I’m just asking what the question I favor in what? In what? I’m saying you got a playoff matchup. You’re looking at the Buffalo Bills. Where would you put him in the AFC right now compared to everybody else that’s there? Where would you put them right now? I would put him third in the AFC behind Kansas City and Indie. Yeah. So, they’re going to LA in a playoff game for hypothetically. Chargers, I’m taking Buffalo. So, you tell you’re taking them over the Broncos like right now? Over the Broncos? Yeah. Right now? You mean to tell me it’s a playoff game today and it’s the Colts and the Bills? You’re going to money on the Colts on the road? Yes, I would. Yes. Yes, I would. I would pick Jonathan Taylor. He’s going to bump his head on the He’s going to bump his head on the field goal post so many times against the Buffalo. Quinton Nelson should be wearing a gold jacket when he’s out there right now without Ed Oliver. I mean, I thought I think sensational, but we’re talking about Buffalo like they’re not a top three or top four team that they’re this team that’s going to flirt with not getting into the playoffs. You’re asking a lot to fill in for Ed Oliver and you’re asking a lot for one of these guys to suddenly become an outside threat and you’re asking a lot to say, “Well, last year they did it so they could do it again.” They don’t look like they were. Oh, I got to see dominance by the Baltimore Ravens so they can be real. Two and five. They score at 40 on this team. [Music]

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark, Dan Orlovsky and Peter Schrager preview the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills matchup during Week 9 of the NFL season.

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