Chiefs vs Bills Press Release - Game 11

Nov 18, 2008, 9:16:19 AM by Pete Moris

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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-9)
VS.
BUFFALO BILLS (5-5)

REGULAR SEASON GAME #11
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008 – 12:00 PM (CENTRAL)
ARROWHEAD STADIUM, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

BROADCAST INFORMATION
CBS Regional Coverage - KCTV-5 (CBS in Kansas City) - Play-by-play: Ian Eagle - Color Commentator: Soloman Wilcots

Chiefs FOX Football Radio Network - KCFX-FM (101.1 FM in Kansas City - Affiliates) - Play-by-play: Mitch Holthus - Color Commentator: Len Dawson - Sideline Reporter: Kendall Gammon

THE MATCH-UP

The Chiefs will host Buffalo for the first time since 2003 as the Bills visit Arrowhead on Sunday. The home team has won 10 of the last 11 in this series between this pair of original American Football League opponents. KC has won its last two home meetings with Buffalo. Kansas City enters Sunday’s contest after a 30-20 loss vs. New Orleans (11/16) and has lost its last four contests by an average margin of 4.5 ppg. Browns K Phil Dawson nailed a 56-yard FG to hand Buffalo a 29-27 loss on Monday Night Football (11/17), extending the Bills losing streak to four games. Buffalo’s last win came vs. San Diego (10/19).

A pair of longtime NFL defensive backs will square off for the first time as NFL head coaches as Herm Edwards (Chiefs) and Dick Jauron (Bills) guide the fortunes of these two franchises. Edwards (38 career INTs) enjoyed an 10-year NFL career (’77-86). He started 135 consecutive contests for Philadelphia (’77-85) and helped guide the Eagles to a berth in Super Bowl XV. Jauron (25 career INTs) spent eight years (’73-80) as a safety and punt returner with Detroit and Cincinnati, earning a Pro Bowl berth in ‘74 after leading the NFC in punt return average. This dynamic duo of former defensive backs own a combined 61 years of NFL service - Edwards (29 seasons) and Jauron (32 seasons).

A talented pair of young QBs will be showcased in Sunday’s game. Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen will be making his sixth NFL start. In his last four starts, Thigpen has completed 85 of 140 passes (60.7%) for 945 yards with eight TDs and one INT, numbers that equate to a 96.9 rating. Over that four-game stretch, only Cardinals QB Kurt Warner (108.9) has a higher rating, while only Colts QB Peyton Manning (9) has thrown more TDs. For Buffalo, QB Trent Edwards (D3-07) enters his second campaign as the Bills starter.

Despite the club’s current losing stretch, the Chiefs have registered 10 takeaways (7 INTs/3 FRs) the past four games and are +8 (10 takes/2 gives) over that span. KC has forced at least one INT in each game over that four-game span. Only Arizona (22) owns more takes this season than Kansas City (21). KC travels to Oakland (11/30) next week, followed by a contest at Denver (12/7). Up next for the Bills is a home contest vs. San Francisco (11/30).

THE SERIES
The Chiefs have posted a 17-21-1 (.447) record in regular and postseason play against Buffalo, including a 16-19-1 (.457) mark in regular season games. The Chiefs are 1-2 in playoff action against the Bills, with that win coming in the ‘66 AFL Championship Game (1/1/07). The Bills claimed home wins in the ‘91 AFC Divisional Playoffs and the ‘93 AFC Championship Game and won the most recent regular season meeting between the two clubs by a 14-3 margin at Ralph Wilson Stadium (11/13/04).

The two teams have met 11 times in regular season and playoff action since ‘90, with the home team winning 10 of those 11 contests. The Bills won the most recent encounter between these two original AFL foes by a 14-3 count at Buffalo (11/13/05). Kansas City has won its last two home games vs. the Bills, including a 38-5 decision in the most recent encounter at Arrowhead (10/26/03). The Chiefs are just 1-9 all-time against Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium with that lone win coming by a 20-17 count (9/28/86).

The Chiefs took six straight from the Bills from ‘66-71, a streak which began with a 31-7 victory in the ‘66 AFL Championship Game played at Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium (1/1/67). That win propelled Kansas City to a berth in Super Bowl I. The date is also significant in Chiefs history since it was the birthdate of the late LB Derrick Thomas who was born in Miami, Florida that same day.

Late Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt and Bills Chairman Ralph Wilson, Jr. were both members of the whimsically-named eight-man “Foolish Club” that launched the American Football League which began play in ‘60. The Chiefs/Texans claimed AFL titles in ‘62, ‘66 and ‘69, while the Bills won back-to-back AFL crowns in ‘64-65.

Complete 16 page release (PDF)

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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A 15-year veteran of the Chiefs, Moris is the associate director of public relations for the team and contributes an in-depth examination of each upcoming game Tuesdays in-season.