Bills vs. Chiefs Week 11 snap counts: Josh Allen is one of one

What a fine VICTORY MONDAY! The Buffalo Bills took down the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, 30-21 in Week 11, extending their win streak to six games. Buffalo will enter its bye week as the second seed in the AFC with a 9-2 record. The Bills now hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs, meaning that the one seed in the AFC and a first-round bye are very much up for grabs entering the final six games of the season.

This may be one of the first times that head coach Sean McDermott has out-coached Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. McDermott didn’t stay conservative and just take the points on the Bills’ final possession — he trusted in his freak quarterback. Buffalo simply “Chiefsed” the Chiefs by dominating time of possession and converting over 60% of its third downs.

What’s even more impressive is that Buffalo beat Kansas City while missing some rather important players. Wide receiver Keon Coleman missed his second straight game while tackle Spencer Brown and tight end Dalton Kincaid picked up injuries in Week 10 and were ruled out ahead of Week 11. There are some positives, however, as wide receiver Amari Cooper and fullback Reggie Gilliam both returned to the lineup after each missing the last two games. For all information on the Week 11 inactives, here’s the full list.

Buffalo Bills Week 11 offensive snap counts (73 snaps)

The absence of right tackle Spencer Brown was worrisome but Ryan Van Demark (100%) filled in and played a heck of a game. While the offensive line couldn’t win in the trenches often, especially on running plays, they didn’t allow a single sack. Left tackle Dion Dawkins (96%) had an injury scare after getting rolled up on by quarterback Josh Allen (100%) on Buffalo’s final drive of the game but returned after missing only three snaps. Defensive tackle Chris Jones certainly had his way with the interior line, too.

Let’s move on to the superhero — Josh Allen, who did Josh Allen things and out-dueled Patrick Mahomes. His lone interception was costly and directly resulted in seven points for Kansas City. But, he still led the team in rushing yards (55), thanks to his 26-yard rushing touchdown on 4th & 2. Tight end Dawson Knox was the target on Allen’s interception but still hauled in 4-of-6 targets for 40 yards as TE1 in the offense. Zach Davidson (15%) was called up from the practice squad for his first-ever regular-season action and caught one pass for five yards.

I’m sure some Bills fans will question wide receiver Amari Cooper (51%) logging the fourth-most snaps in the wide receiver room, but he still has a cast on his wrist and saw limited practices during the week. The Bills got Cooper going early when Allen hit him on the sideline for 30 yards on the third play of the game. He also hauled in another 25-yarder along the sideline in the second quarter that led to Buffalo’s second score. The emergence of Curtis Samuel (60%) couldn’t have come at a better time as he’s now hauled in 9-of-14 targets for 93 yards and a touchdown in his past two games. He caught his first touchdown in Bills threads to increase the lead to two possessions in the fourth quarter. Khalil Shakir (71%) continued his strong play and remains Allen’s go-to target on third downs. Shakir has hauled in at least six receptions and 50 yards in five straight games.

Running back Ty Johnson (45%) led the running back room in snaps, primarily because both James Cook (37%) and Ray Davis (21%) each averaged just 2.2 yards per carry on a combined 14 carries. The lack of rushing efficiency from the Bills was killing them and resulted in tough 3rd & Long situations, but Allen and the offense simply delivered a masterclass. Johnson also seems like the best pass-blocking back on the team, which could be another reason he led in snaps due to Kansas City’s constant pressure on Allen.

Buffalo Bills Week 11 defensive snap counts (55 snaps)

The Chiefs know how to exploit McDermott’s defense — we’ve seen it happen plenty of times in the Josh Allen era. Mahomes threw three touchdowns and their running game averaged 4.6 yards per carry, but it wasn’t enough. Do you know that guy who is Taylor Swift’s boyfriend and tends to tear apart the Bills’ defense? I think his name is Travis Kelce and he was held to two receptions (on four targets) for eight yards — his worst game against the Bills since his first career game against them in 2014 (two catches for 19 yards).

Both safety Taylor Rapp (100%) and linebacker Terrell Bernard (100%) picked off Mahomes, bringing his total to 11 on the season (what a turnover machine). Bernard also picked up a sack and looks fully recovered from his injury. Have I mentioned that the Bills opened up Matt Milano’s 21-day practice window?

We all know Buffalo loves to run big nickel by substituting safety Cam Lewis (18%) periodically, but I’m a bit confused about who left the field in these situations because linebacker Dorian Williams (96%) played all but two snaps. Williams had his quietest game of the season, too, totaling just four tackles.

Another common theme of the Bills’ defense is the lack of pressure, especially when it matters. That was the case at times as Mahomes did his usual magic, but for the most part it was a solid effort from the defensive line. Edge rusher Von Miller (38%) showed up in the stat sheet after sacking Mahomes, his first since returning from suspension two weeks ago. As a unit, Buffalo totaled eight QB hits with defensive end Greg Rousseau (80%) leading the way with two. The defensive line depth is deep and it shows in the snap counts with nine different pass rushers logging a snap.

Buffalo Bills Week 11 special teams snap counts (24 snaps)

Kicker Tyler Bass (42%) missed another extra point but the Bills are 4-0 this season when he does this, so let’s just ignore it (for now). Since the Bills moved the ball quite well, punter Sam Martin (33%) punted three times and hurt the Chiefs twice by landing two of them inside the 20-yard line.

Return specialist Brandon Codrington (33%) remains my favorite acquisition this season because there’s no funny business with him. He simply runs north and south and takes care of the football. He had a 25-yard punt return to set the Bills offense up on the Chiefs’ 42-yard line, as well.

The transition on special teams worked very well because fullback Reggie Gilliam (88%) returned to his lead role and tight end Quintin Morris (33%) slid over to TE2 and is now needed on offense more often. Until Kincaid can return from his knee injury, this is what the snap counts will look like every week.