Today marks the opening to the Chiefs regular season. The Bills are in town and the Chiefs are looking to start their defense of the AFC West Championship.
And I couldn't be more excited.
The Chiefs aren't only defending a division championship, they are also looking to repeat as the number one rushing offense in the NFL. And today is a good day to get back on track, going against the worst run defense in the league last year, giving up an average of 169.6 yards per game. This preseason hasn't looked much better, where they have averaged 146.5 rushing yards per game on defense.
Buffalo has done everything they can to try to improve this aspect of their team. They drafted defensive tackle Marcel Dareus out of Alabama number three overall. They brought in the former Charger and oft-injured linebacker Shawne Merriman in the middle of last season. And then this offseason, they brought in linebacker Nick Barnett (who I wanted the Chiefs to pursue) from the Green Bay Packers.
And on offense, the Bills still have the ever-tricky Chan Gailey. And to play into his strengths, the Bills picked up former Jet and Mizzou Tiger, Brad Smith, who does a little bit of everything. And although the Bills got rid of wide receiver Lee Evans to the Ravens, the emergence of Stevie Johnson has given Bills fans hope with their passing game.
Now as favorable as this matchup may appear on paper, as far as the running game goes, let's not forget that these two teams met last year and the result was something almost embarrassing.
Coming off a 42-20 victory against the Jaguars, the Chiefs were once again at Arrowhead and facing the winless Bills. Jamaal Charles had 177 rushing yards, the Chiefs totaled 274 rushing yards, the Chiefs committed no turnovers, and the Chiefs won 13-10 on the final play of overtime.
Nevertheless, I have confidence the Chiefs can win this game, and hopefully not by just a field goal in overtime. So, are you ready for some Chiefs football?
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