Bills defensive lineman Michael Hoecht has been ruled out of the rest of Sunday’s game against the Chiefs and it looks like he’ll be out for quite a while beyond this week as well.
Hoecht left the game after suffering a non-contact lower-body injury and the Bills announced that he will not return after hurting his Achilles. If that injury is a tear, Hoecht will not return to the field this season.
Hoecht missed the first six games of the season while serving a suspension under the performance-enhancing drug policy and made his debut in last Sunday’s win over the Panthers. He had two tackles and a half-sack of Patrick Mahomes before Sunday’s injury.
The Bills lead the Chiefs 28-21 with just under seven minutes left in Buffalo.
The Bills have extended their lead over the Chiefs in the third quarter of Sunday’s game at Highmark Stadium.
Quarterback Josh Allen scored on a one-yard sneak for the second time in the game and the Bills lead 28-13 with 1:34 left to play in the third quarter. Allen now has 72 career rushing touchdowns, which leaves him behind only Ravens runnig back Derrick Henry among active players.
Allen has also completed 21-of-24 passes for 253 yards and a score, so it has been a big game all around for the reigning NFL MVP.
The Chiefs got the ball to start the third, but had to punt. They got it back after forcing a Bills punt, but their drive stalled after an intentional grounding penalty. Replays showed that the pass was deflected at the line by Bills defensive lineman Michael Hoecht, but that is not reviewable and Mahomes was sacked on third and long.
The Bills and Chiefs have played some classics against each other in recent seasons and another one could be in store on Sunday.
After Bills quarterback Josh Allen snuck in for a one-yard score with 1:33 left to play in the half, the Chiefs used a pair of long Patrick Mahomes completions to get the ball to the Buffalo 1-yard line. Kareem Hunt was stuffed for no gain and Mahomes threw a pair of incompletions that meant they had to settle for Harrison Butker’s second field goal of the day to cut the Buffalo lead to 21-13 at the break.
The Chiefs will regret not getting into the end zone, but they will get another chance to score when they get the ball to start the second half in Buffalo.
Allen is 15-of-17 for 176 yards and a score to tight end Dalton Kincaid. Kincaid has three catches for 75 yards and tight end Dawson Knox had a 30-yarder to set up Allen’s touchdown.
Mahomes has been less successful through the air. He’s just 7-of-15 for 123 yards as the Bills defense has found the right approach to limiting the Chiefs’ success through the first 30 minutes of play.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went into the locker room a few moments ahead of the rest of the players, so there will be eyes on whether he’s dealing with any injury that would keep him from playing a part in the comeback effort.
The Chiefs picked up their first points on Sunday on the first play of the second quarter.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice took a direct snap and ran for a three-yard touchdown. The first rushing touchdown of Rice’s career tied the score at 7-7 in Buffalo.
Rice had another run for two yards and a 19-yard catch from Patrick Mahomes earlier in the drive.
The Chiefs only had to drive the ball 53 yards for the score because their defense forced a Josh Allen incompletion on fourth down to get the ball back into Mahomes’ hands. It looked like the Bills might come up with a stop of their own, but defensive holding wiped out a sack and helped set the stage for Rice’s score.
The Bills have drawn first blood in Sunday’s marquee matchup with the Chiefs.
Quarterback Josh Allen closed out the opening offensive possession with a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid. The score put the Bills up 7-0 with seven minutes off the clock.
Allen had five other completions on the scoring drive, including three connections with wide receiver Khalil Shakir. Running back James Cook chipped in with five carries for 27 yards as well.
The Chiefs answered with a punt on their first possession and the Bills offense will go back to work as they look for their fifth straight win over the Chiefs in the regular season.
