Buffalo Bills Vs. Kansas City Chiefs Week 9 NFL Betting Predictions Picks and Parlays

The Streak vs. The Injury Report: Bills vs. Chiefs Throwdown

It’s Week 9, and here we go again. Sunday will be the 10th time Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have played against each other, including the playoffs. Can we please just fast-forward to the kickoff? The Bills-Chiefs game is always exciting, even though the outcome has been painfully foreseeable in one case. This rivalry is the best thing going in football right now.

We all know the story, don't we? Allen has a good 4-1 record against Mahomes in the regular season, which is great for bragging rights in October. But when the lights are on and the season is on the line, the Chiefs have never lost to Allen in the playoffs. It’s the definition of a mental hurdle for Buffalo, and that playoff ghost is going to be hanging over Highmark Stadium this weekend, no matter what anyone says.

What makes this iteration so intriguing, though, is the sheer number of recent, game-changing injuries. It’s not just about the two superstar quarterbacks this time, it’s about who is actually left standing around them. The Bills' defense, which has had trouble stopping the run all year, just got hit hard. Ed Oliver, a defensive tackle and one of their best playmakers in the trenches, is officially on injured reserve with a torn bicep he got in Week 8 against the Panthers. That loss is big; it means that players like Jordan Phillips have to step up right away from the practice squad. For a run defense that’s already been Buffalo's biggest vulnerability, losing Oliver right before they face the Chiefs is just brutal timing.

Kansas City isn’t walking in completely healthy either. In fact, their backfield got some seriously bad news this week. Running back Isiah Pacheco, who is “Pop” to his coaches and the physical tone-setter for that offense, suffered an MCL sprain during the Monday night win over the Commanders. The team is calling him week-to-week, but let’s be real, he’s almost certainly out for this massive Sunday clash. 

This instantly puts the pressure squarely on veteran Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith to carry the ground game. The Chiefs’ running back situation wasn't looking great before this injury, and now the chatter around the league is that K.C. might be desperate enough to look into a trade for a back like Breece Hall before the deadline hits. That’s how serious this Pacheco news is.

So, while the Bills' run defense gets a momentary, unexpected break without having to deal with Pacheco’s punishing style, they still have to figure out how to stop Mahomes from connecting with Travis Kelce and, crucially, rookie speedster Xavier Worthy. The Bills are hoping first-round rookie corner Maxwell Hairston, who ran a blazing 4.28 40-yard dash, can have his role expanded and stick with Worthy, the Combine’s all-time fastest at 4.21. 

There will be a lot of movement and mismatches in this chess match, but the truth is that this Week 9 clash is less about a full-strength rivalry game and more about who can get over their terrible recent injury report. Get ready for a nasty ride. I still favor the Chiefs, even if they only have a 2-point spread. Despite they had problems at the start of the season, Kansas City is getting better.