The Buffalo Bills are coming off a statement win over Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in week five. But what makes the franchise around quarterback Josh Allen so strong right now?

Munich – Less than ten months ago, the Buffalo Bills suffered a bitter defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the battle for a spot in the Super Bowl, the team around quarterback superstar Patrick Mahomes dominated the AFC Championship Game, giving the Bills no chance in an unchallenged 38-24 victory.

The Sunday Night Game of week five saw a rematch of the game – with the outcome reversed. Buffalo won 38-20, and away from home at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

While the Bills lead the AFC East with a 4-1 record, the Chiefs are in last place in the AFC West with two wins and three losses.

But how did the Bills come to be so strong after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the season? What makes the team, which is already considered one of the top favorites to win the Super Bowl by betting companies, so special?

Sovereign quarterback

Quarterback Josh Allen has been a bench presence this season. The playmaker already has nearly 1,400 passing yards after week five, with twelve touchdowns compared to just two interceptions

And he’s also contributing well in the running game. He’s put almost 200 yards and two touchdowns on the scoreboard so far. The 25-year-old hardly makes any mistakes and is already being talked about as an MVP candidate.

Score and prevent big plays

The Bills are doing one thing really well right now: the franchise is making big plays themselves, but hardly allowing any.

Chiefs quarterback Mahomes managed just two passes of at least 20 yards in the entire game. “That’s what we try to do every week,” explained safety Micah Hyde. At the same time, playmaker Allen keeps getting really long passes to his teammates. Against the Chiefs, for example, he completed one touchdown pass for 53 yards and one for 35 yards.

Strong receiving corps

Receivers play an important role for the Bills. While Stefon Diggs has yet to set off any fireworks this season with just one touchdown, his fellow receivers are stepping in. Emmanuel Sanders scored two touchdowns against the Chiefs, bringing his total to four this season.

Even more convincing, however, is the team’s secret weapon: tight end Dawson Knox. Five touchdowns in five games, 117 receiving yards against the Chiefs. “Josh (Allen) trusts him to make plays, and he’s made plays, and that’s how they’re growing together,” enthuses Head Coach Sean McDermott.

Takeaways without end

In week five, the franchise confirmed the trend from previous weeks. A fumble recovery in each of halves one and two, as well as two interceptions after the break, continued to bump up the team’s takeaway account.

The Bills have won the right to attack with a turnover 15 times in the first five games, more than any other team. Incidentally, the Dallas Cowboys are second in that statistic with eleven.

The right attitude

A 38:20 win against former champion Kansas City is actually a remarkable success – but the players didn’t want to know anything about high flights of fancy after the game. Instead, they analyzed and put their away win into context. “I think our win is being made into a bigger deal than it actually is. We’re in week five,” Allen stated.

He continued, “Four wins don’t get you into the playoffs. We got one win. That’s our goal every week.”

And for that to happen, morale has to be high. The second half of the game had to be postponed by more than an hour and ten minutes because a thunderstorm was doing its thing around the stadium.

No problem for the Bills. “We come out on the field and stay strong even after a long thunderstorm interruption. I’m proud of the way our team handled the situation,” the quarterback emphasized.

Similarly, receiver Sanders expressed, “We’ll enjoy it on the flight back. I’ve already enjoyed our win here, though. You can tell by my voice, I lost it yelling. But at the same time, it’s not like we won the Super Bowl. It’s week five. We’ve got to get back to work.”

After all, the next challenge awaits in week six with the Tennessee Titans.