5 winners and 4 losers from the Chiefs’ loss at Buffalo

You can’t win ‘em all, I guess.

The Kansas City Chiefs lost a tough road game to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, dropping to 9-1 on a 30-21 loss that was capped by Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen rolling through the entire defense for a 26-yard score to all but end the game — and Kansas City’s undefeated season.

Just the same, it was the kind of back-and-forth game we’re used to seeing from these two rivals — even though the final score wasn’t as close as we usually see. Hopefully, another pattern will also continue: the Chiefs will lose to the Bills in the regular season, but defeat them in the playoffs.

Here are a few Chiefs who stood out on Sunday afternoon.

Winners

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: From the opening drive, it was clear that the team wanted to get the ball into the rookie’s hands. Using misdirection to get Worthy free on a 7-yard run was a good start. He went on to catch four passes for 61 yards (and a touchdown) in a monster first half. Unfortunately, that didn’t continue in the second half — and once again, Worthy left a huge play on the field when he didn’t get his feet inbounds on a long sideline pass. But there were still plenty of positives. The Chiefs were able to get Worthy involved in a variety of ways.

Tight end Noah Gray: When the Chiefs needed a first down, they ran a Travis Kelce special— but it was to Gray. In all, the backup tight end caught four of five targets and had two touchdowns — the first multi-score game of his career. After signing a new contract this season, it was a performance for Gray to build upon.

Defensive back Chamarri Conner: It wasn’t a perfect day for the second-year player: he missed some critical tackles. But he also made plenty — leading the team with eight, including one for a loss. Ultimately, his interception landed him on our winners’ list, as it led to Kansas City’s final lead with 2:51 left in the second quarter.

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins: Good things generally happen when Mahomes throws it towards No. 8. In one instance, Hopkins could not haul in what would have been a spectacular contested catch — but he did catch his other three targets. Any thoughts of him giving up targets to JuJu Smith-Schuster should be abandoned. Right now, Hopkins is the team’s best all-around receiver.

Offensive lineman Mike Caliendo: It’s rare to see a lineman get a catch. It’s even more unusual to see it happen in the middle of the field, rather than at the goal line. But with defenders all around him, Caliendo converted a third-and-1 to extend a touchdown drive. Well done, big guy!

Losers

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Passing for less than 200 yards — and throwing interceptions on the first and last drives of a game? That’s not going to get it done — especially on the road against a contender. The Chiefs offense sputtered, recording three three-and-outs and the quarterback’s two turnovers. Mahomes wasn’t able to get much going downfield, settling for checkdowns as pockets collapsed all afternoon. He was outplayed by Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who made the kind of game-winning play we’re used to seeing from him. To be fair, three touchdown passes represents a solid day — but against a team like the Bills, standards must be higher.

The Chiefs’ pass rush: As always, Allen didn’t make it make it easy. But Kansas City’s defense depends on its pass rush getting home. Time after time, it came close — but just couldn’t bring the Bills’ quarterback down. Conner, George Karlaftis, Trent McDuffie, Tershawn Wharton and Chris Jones all could have had sacks, but Allen was always able to escape. When Kansas City’s pass rush can’t get home, the depleted secondary is in a tough spot.

Wanya Morris and Jawaan Taylor: Many were intrigued that Kingsley Suamataia was inactive on Sunday — but the play of the tackles still wasn’t good enough. Mahomes was under duress all day; Buffalo recorded two sacks and too many quarterback hits. Then on the pivotal drives of the fourth quarter, each tackle was called for a holding penalty that killed the momentum of a drive.

Note: Applying the labels “winners” and “losers” is not intended to be a judgment on the talent or character of any of these players. It’s just a simple way to grade their performance in a single game. No disrespect is intended.