by Josh Looney

PRE-GAME, 9:45 AM
Hello internet world and welcome to week 11 of the Chiefs Gameday Blog…or just “GLOG” for all you Oakland fans who managed to figure out where the power button on the computer is. ATTENTION OAKLAND FANS: First socks…then shoes. Okay, okay…it’s a week early to start with the Raiders jabs, gotta focus on the Bills today.

PRE-GAME, 10:15 AM
The Bills come into Arrowhead today after suffering a heartbreaking loss on Monday Night Football to Cleveland…Phil Dawson’s 56-yard FG (along with Rian Lindell’s wide-right part deux) broke the hearts of Bills fans who have seen their squad drop four-straight (5-5 overall) after starting the season 5-0. This is a huge game for Buffalo today and I think we will learn something about the 2008 Bills today…are they the type of team to lay down with the chips stacked against them or are they a squad that enters Arrowhead today with a chip on their shoulder, determined to right their ship?

PRE-GAME, 10:45 AM
THE INACTIVES…
CHIEFS
23 Patrick Surtain
30 Ricardo Colclough
45 Michael Merritt
55 Pat Thomas
59 Donnie Edwards
71 Andrew Carnahan
73 Adrian Jones
80 Jeff Webb

BILLS
10 Gibran Hamdan is 3rd QB
20 Donte Whitner
25 Xavier Omon
33 Jabari Greer
65 Jason Whittle
77 Demetrius Bell
94 Aaron Schobel
97 John McCargo

PRE-GAME, 11:00 AM
There’s a storyline involving QBs Trent Edwards and Tyler Thigpen that you may not be aware of yet…they are both in the process of growing beards for the final countdown of the 2008 football season. Edwards looked like he was going for the Paul Bunyan-inspired “Mountain Man” look in his presser earlier this week, while Thigpen seems to be going with the well-groomed, multi-situational beard.

PRE-GAME, 11:10 AM
Breaking News: I just saw Thigpen during pre-game warm-ups…the beard has been shaved…I repeat, there is no longer a beard on Tyler Thigpen. Keep checking this blog for further late-breaking, hard-hitting news updates.

PRE-GAME, 11:25 AM
Remember when you were in elementary school and they served the turkey dinner at lunch right before Thanksgiving? Yeah…it’s that day here in the press box at Arrowhead. I think the recipe for the grade school Thanksgiving Feast is universal.

PRE-GAME, 11:50 AM
It’s amazing how excited the players were this week when it was announced that Darius Rucker (former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, mind you) would be singing the National Anthem. I’m being completely serious about this…Rucker carries some serious cred in NFL circles, even more than David Cook.

1st Q, 12:49, KC 0 BUF 0
A sloppy start as CB Maurice Leggett coughs up the opening kickoff, but the pistol formation has quickly cleaned up the mess to move the football past mid-field.

1st Q, 11:15, KC 7 BUF 0
Nevermind…the sloppiness has come back in full-force as RB Jamaal Charles’ TD dance was just dreadful following a 35-yard TD reception. Nobody covered Charles coming out of the backfield and it only took the rookie one lateral move after the catch to reach the promise land.

7 plays, 80 yards, 3:45

1st Q, 11:10, KC 7 BUF 0
I think we may be seeing a common theme from the Chiefs special teams today…don’t kick Parrish or McKelvin the football. KC opts for the squib kick on their first boot of the day.

1st Q, 6:42, KC 7 BUF 7
Buffalo absolutely gashed the Chiefs defense on the ground gaining seemingly 10-15 yards per touch to open their first drive, but their fortunes changed once the heavies were brought into the game inside the KC five-yard line. After being stuffed three-straight times the Bills finally punched it in from one-yard out on fourth-and-goal to tie the game. Looks like this one could be score fest.

9 plays, 61 yards, 4:33

1st Q, 5:46, KC 7 BUF 7
A muffed kickoff return, a dropped first down pass and a sack inside the one-yard line has given the Bills great field position at the KC 40. KC’s second offensive drive was the complete opposite of their first.

1st Q, 3:34, KC 7 BUF 7
Two drastically different offensive mindsets today as the Chiefs are busy operating passes out of the spread offense while Buffalo is content lining up in the traditional two-back set and running right at Kansas City’s front seven.

1st Q, 0:00, KC 7 BUF 7
Are we seeing a replay? Bills RBs Lynch and Jackson have their way with the Chiefs once again breaking tackle after tackle until being stood-up three-straight times inside the three-yard line. We’ll once again see a fourth-and-goal at the start of the second quarter. My guess is that the Bills opt for a FG this time though.

2nd Q, 14:58, KC 7 BUF 10
As expected, the 21-yard FG is good. The goal-line stand is definitely something the Chiefs D can build off of going forward.

10 plays. 37 yards, 5:48

2nd Q, 13:15, KC 14 BUF 10
A big-time run for LJ…one move and done as he races 63-yards off tackle to the Bills two-yard line. A brilliant play call by my man crush (Chan Gailey) draws the entire defense to LJ on a play fake enabling Thigpen to his a wide open Gonzalez in the end zone.

3 plays, 72 yards, 1:43

2nd Q, 11:01, KC 14 BUF 10
Oddly enough the Bills throw on three consecutive plays after running at will on the Chiefs during their first two drives of the game. The third-down pass, however moves the chains as Buffalo approaches mid-field.

2nd Q, 10:04, KC 14 BUF 10
KC’s defense forces the first Bills punt of the afternoon after the Bills continue to go to the air on five of six plays…a big opportunity for the Chiefs to take a two-score lead and force the Bills into more passing situations. I’d much rather see the Bills drop back to pass than get Lynch’s wheels rolling.

2nd Q, 8:20, KC 14 BUF 10
One thing the Chiefs can’t afford to do is lose the turnover battle…they are now sitting at -1. Charles coughs up  the football in mid-spin on a third down screen play to give Buffalo the football at the KC 29. The Chiefs go from aiming to up their lead to defending Buffalo from taking the lead…the tables have turned.

2nd Q, 7:53, KC 14 BUF 13
So let me get this right…both defenses begin the game by stopping no one and now they are stopping everyone! Some definite adjustments have been made for the better. KC’s defense does all you can ask of them in that situation by yielding just seven yards and forcing the Bills to kick a 49-yard FG.

4 plays, 7-yards, 1:00

2nd Q, 7:11, KC 14 BUF 20
The defensive play may have improved on both sides, but that’s not keeping any points off the scoreboard. McKelvin continues his excellent rookie campaign by logging a 64-yard pick six of Thigpen. Thigpen tried to squeeze the football through a narrow window on a slant route and McKelvin made him pay by making a house call.

2nd Q, 6:30, KC 14 BUF 20
If you were a blocking fullback in the NFL would you turn down an opportunity to carry the football if it came your direction? No way and neither would Chiefs FB Mike Cox. Instead of calling for the fair catch, Cox rumbles two yards on a pouch kick return. I believe special teams coach Mike Priefer will be talking to Cox about the art of the fair catch in the very near future.

2nd Q, 3:14, KC 17 BUF 20
Perfection is difficult for everyone besides K Connor Barth. The rookie kicker recalled from performing manual labor at the golf course in North Carolina is now 6-for-6 on FG attempts since returning to Kansas City.

6 plays, 39 yards, 3:49

2nd Q, 1:27, KC 17 BUF 23
If you like points then I’ve got the game for you. WR Lee Evans sets up another Bills FG after hauling in a 53-yard pass. CB Brandon Carr was with him stride for stride, but the perfect pass by Edwards was indefensible.

5 plays, 53 yards, 1:49

2nd Q, 1:15, KC 17 BUF 23
I come barring the news of more potential points before the end of the half. Thigpen is picked for the second time by McKelvin…this time on a very underthrown ball intended for WR Will Franklin down the right sideline. Buffalo has no timeouts, but they’ll get the football at their own 48.

2nd Q, 0:04, KC 17 BUF 30
A very deflating play for the Chiefs defense as Edwards if forced out of the pocket and ends up scrambling between the numbers…if he’s tackled then Buffalo comes up with no points as there were less than 10 second remaining and the Bill had no timeouts. Instead, Edwards goes for broke and finishes off a 15-yard scramble by diving over two Chiefs defenders to fall into the end zone. 30 first half points surrendered by the Chiefs defense will likely produce one heck of a halftime speech by their coordinator.

5 plays, 53 yards, 1:16

HALFTIME: You really want to know what bothers me? No? Okay.

3rd Q, 14:37, KC 17 BUF 30
Buffalo starts the second half off just as hot as they ended the preceding half of football as McKelvin returns a kickoff to mid-field. Tack on another 15 yards from a facemask on Barth and you’ve got the Bills starting the second half at the KC 33. You can’t really blame Barth for the facemask call, however, as he did everything he possibly could to keep McKelvin from taking it to the house.

3rd Q, 12:32, KC 17 BUF 37
Edwards rushes for his second score of the day, this time from five-yards out, as the Bills are showing no signs of slowing down.

4 plays, 33 yards, 2:28

3rd Q, 10:10, KC 17 BUF 37
The fans are booing officials as Thigpen fumbles after stumbling to the ground on a scramble. The call, however, is the correct one as Thigpen fell on his own accord…meaning the play is still live and if that football leaves his hands its fair game for anyone to fall on top of…even if the ground was the cause of the football jarring loose. Buffalo takes over the football on the KC 28.

3rd Q, 10:05, KC 17 BUF 40
Tack on another Lindell FG…this time from 38 yards out.

4 plays, 7 yards, 1:24

3rd Q, 7:53, KC 24 BUF 40
One thing the Chiefs won’t do is quite. In a situation when it would be easy to fold and raise the white flag, Thigpen and Co. put together a quick scoring drive capped off by a 45-yard TD strike to WR Mark Bradley. Thigpen’s three passing TDs today are a career-high. There is still plenty of time to play and with the way points are being scored in this game…who knows what a safe lead is.

5 plays, 68 yards, 2:12

3rd Q, 2:58, KC 24 BUF 47
It’s been said week after week by coaches, players and media…missed tackles are so costly. On a huge third down play, KC had Buffalo stopped far behind the chains that would have forced a punt. Instead, the tackle was missed, the Bills went for it on fourth-and-one (out of the wildcat formation) and connected on an 8-yard TD reception by WR Josh Reed just two plays later.

9 plays, 83 yards, 4:55

4th Q, 13:35, KC 24 BUF 47
After the Chiefs turned the ball over on downs, Trent Edwards continues his determination to be a running quarterback. Edwards entered today’s game with only 44 rushing yards this season, but today he has run for 38 yards and two TDs. 

4th Q, 12:45, KC 24 BUF 47
Edwards goes back to that old quarterback stereotype by passing the football, but it ended up leading to a punt. KC ball inside their own five.

4th Q, 10:25, KC 24 BUF 47
Colquitt is called to duty for just his second punt of the afternoon, but the Chiefs punter just hasn’t been the same since coming back from a groin injury. He’s only averaging 36.0 yards per punt this afternoon and was in the 30s last week as well…very un-Colquitt like. Colquitt will never admit it, but I think it’s safe to attribute his recent numbers to that injured groin.

4th Q, 9:18, KC 24 BUF 54
There really isn’t much left to say about this one. A play-fake draws all 11 defenders to the offensive right , while Edwards throws left to nothing put green grass and TE Derek Schouman for a 17-yard TD.

3 plays, 44 yards, 1:22

4th Q, 4:28, KC 24 BUF 54
We’ve got a new QB in the game for the Chiefs as Quinn Gray will get his chance to show what he can do. This decision has nothing to with Thigpen’s performance or health, but rather giving Gray an opportunity to play as the outcome has already been decided.

4th Q, 2:46, KC 24 BUF 54
Gonzalez has just passed the 100-yard receiving mark, giving him 25 in his career…that passes TE Kellen Winslow for the most 100-yard games by a TE in NFL history. I’m sure Tony would rather his record come in a different scenario, but it is something that should be celebrated none-the-less. He received a standing ovation from the crowd.

4th Q, 2:22, KC 31 BUF 54
Gray seizes his opportunity to get some playing time and rallies the Chiefs with a three-yard TD pass to Bowe. We know have 85 combined points in this game.

7 plays, 71 yards, 2:15

4th Q, 2:22, KC 31 BUF 54
J.P. Losman enters the game and kneels four times. The Bills turn the ball over on downs to the Chiefs.

4th Q, 0:36, KC 31 BUF 54
Jamaal Charles takes a handoff from the KC 39 and takes it 20 yards across midfield. Gray then scrambles inside the Buffalo 20 to end the game.

BUFFALO 54, KANSAS CITY 31 - FINAL