Josh Allen downplays crucial matchup as Bills look to end Chiefs' undefeated record
On Sunday, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will have the chance to end reigning two-time Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs' perfect 9-0 start to the season and 15-game win streak.
While the game is being billed as a heavyweight bout between two titans, Bills superstar Josh Allen pumped the brakes on the hype. During his media availability on Thursday, the quarterback said that he understands the intrigue and fanfare around the game but added that its importance is being blown out of proportion.
"It's a Week 11 game," Allen said. "It's no bigger and no less than the last 10 games that we've had. I know the media perception and the fan perception of what this game means. But, for us, it's just a Week 11 for us."
Chiefs vs. Bills in Week 11: Is Josh Allen right about the hype?
The Week 11 clash between Kansas City and Buffalo at the Bills Stadium is arguably the most intriguing game left on the Chiefs' schedule. Kansas City is looking to become the third team in NFL history to finish the regular season with a perfect record, after the Miami Dolphins, who were the first to achieve the feat in 1972, and the New England Patriots, who went 16-0 in 2007.
The Bills, though, would love to play spoilers and exact revenge for their loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the 2023 playoffs. However, Josh Allen is spot-on about the game not being any more important than the 10 they have played so far this season.
Buffalo is 8-2 and has a 4.5-game lead over the Dolphins in the race for the AFC East title. They will close the gap on the Chiefs in the race for the #1 seed in the playoffs to one game with a win on Sunday. But even if they run the table and finish 15-2, they'd have to depend on Kansas City losing another game before the end of the regular season.
A win will ensure that they stay ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and the rest of the chasing pack and hold on to the second spot in the playoff seeding. However, that scenario likely won't change until Week 18, meaning every game will be as important as the one on Sunday against the Chiefs.
Allen downplaying the game's importance could be a tactic to alleviate pressure off him and his teammates, but his logic is accurate.