Laddie Morse
When I was growing up, “Four on the floor” meant a great deal more than it does now. It meant having the hottest car, which had a 4-speed shift transmission, and could usually win you any road race.
“Four and the floor” refers to something much different, and in this case, the team with the best four players in the NFL, notably, the Chiefs, referring to: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu.
The question then becomes, who are the best teams, beyond their top four, with those other players who comprise the rest of their roster? This is of interest because in the NFL today, those players can mean the difference between a winning and losing season. Between the Chiefs and Bills and their best four players, which team has the better roster? Let’s begin with the top four players on each team:
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While the Chiefs top three players are clearly offensive players with one on defense, I designated two defensive players as part of the top four for the Bills, simply because they have shut out two teams so far this year. No matter what you think about the possibility that their schedule has been light so far, getting shutouts in the NFL is extremely hard to do, no matter how bad an NFL team is.
There were many other possible players on the Bills roster who could have been designated as a top four player, and that’s a big part of the reason for this piece. So, let’s compare position groups.
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Quarterbacks
Even being the Chiefs fanatic that I am, it’s difficult to not contend that Patrick Mahomes is a top three QB in the NFL, if not the elite of the elite in terms of all-time QBs in the league. While Mahomes is clearly the best QB the Chiefs have had since Lenny Dawson hung up his cleats in 1975, Josh Allen is the best QB the Bills have had since Jim Kelly retired in 1996. Allen has also progressed over his first three+ seasons and may actually be a better athlete than Mahomes.
While physical gifts are an important aspect of playing QB in the NFL, what resides between the temples is what separates the good from the greats and the greats from the greatest. That means Patrick Mahomes is the best in the league, as well as it’s face. I tend to agree most with the way NBC Sports ranks the 2021 QB as follows:
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- Patrick Mahomes
- Aaron Rodgers
- Russell Wilson
- Josh Allen
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However, like many rankings, theirs is flawed as well, because they have the Titans QB, Ryan Tannehill, ranked 5th overall. The point is, if Patrick Mahomes plays up to his potential in any given game, 99 times out of 100… he wins. In other words, it’s rarer than rare for Mahomes to play great, and lose.
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Tight Ends
There’s no question about who the best tight end in the game is right now: Travis Kelce. Any time a TE can put together five straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons in a row — and it looks like he’s on his way to a sixth straight (1,326 receiving yards projected in 2021) — then he’s the clear choice for the best TE in any game he plays.
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There have been other Tight Ends who hav had 1,000+ yard receiving season, just not at least two in a row, including: Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, Ozzie Newsome, and Zach Ertz.
When no other TE in the history of the game has ever put together more than 3+ years of 1,000 yard seasons, it simply means Travis Kelce is much greater that Dawson Knox, the Bills tight end.
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Wide Receiver
While I would normally give the “best-in-show” WR prize to Tyreek Hill, the skills of Stephon Diggs are not to be overlooked or diminished in any way. Diggs was the most productive WR in the NFL last year with 1,535 yards receiving. He was so good that he beat out the next best WR, Devante Adams, by 161 yards as well as beating out Tyreek Hill (who was 17th in the NFL in receiving yards) by 256 yards. Cole Beasley helps the Bills Wide receiving cause and the Chiefs don’t have anyone that’s like him. Even though I’m a huge Tyreek Hill supporter — and I believe he is the most dangerous WR in the game — I have to go with the Bills WRs and Stephon Diggs in this game, as the best group… by a smidgen. However, Josh Gordon may change all that.
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Safety
This one is clearly Tyrann Mathieu over Micah Hyde. USAToday has Mathieu as the 2nd best Safety in the NFL, while Micah Hyde is ranked at #7. I’ll fly with that assessment.
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Best of the Rest
Offensive Line
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Yes. No. Yes.
Yes, that’s the Chiefs ex-Center from Missouri, Mitch Morse. He’s a good one.
No, that’s not the “Daryl Williams” who’s namesake is on the Chiefs roster, plays he same position, but spells his name with two “R’s” — > Darryl Williams.
Yes, that’s the same 6-foot-8 Spencer Brown I was hoping the Chiefs would draft this year out of Northern Iowa.
Both the Bills and the Chiefs OL’s have given up 5 sacks in four games. That ranks each team in second place behind the Washington Football Team which has allowed four sacks on the year. While the Chiefs offensive line is a work in progress and they are expected to continue to gel as the year proceeds, I have to call this one a toss up. The Bills have a good OL, so do the Chiefs.
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Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has had two back to back 100 yard rushing games. These days, that’s all most NFL RBs can hope for. Devin Singletary, the Bills’ starting RB, has 259 yards rushing this year and a 5.3 YPC average which ranks him 10th in the NFL. CEH has 291 yards rushing with a 5.0 YPC which ranks him at 12th in the NFL. Singletary has 7 catches this year fro 24 yards while CEH has 7 catches for 39 yards. Once again, RBs is a toss up.
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Fullbacks
The Bills have Reggie Gilliam and the Chiefs have Michael Burton. A FB will not decide this game.
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Defensive Linemen
If I had to chose which four players would make up my defensive line and the choices were the Chiefs front four or the Bills front four, I’d take the Bills four. Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Star Lotulelei, and Jerry Hughes are decidedly better at this point… than, Chris Jones, Jarran Reid, Derrick Nnadi, and Frank Clark.
When you consider that Chris Jones is “Questionable” for the game tomorrow, it makes this decision even more evident.
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Part of the reason for choosing the Bills front over the Chiefs is the number of sacks they have this season:
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This data comes to us from StatMuse.com and as you can see, the Chiefs are missing from this chart. That’s because the Chiefs only have generated 7.0 sacks this season, which places them 21st overall. The Bills are 7th. A marked difference.
Many will site that the Bills have faced a namby-pamby schedule this season while producing defensive goose-eggs against the Dolphins (35-to-0) and the Texans (40-to-0). The Bills, may have had an easier schedule than the Chiefs thus far, however, that also means their players are full of confidence moving forward. In any case, the Bills Front four is my choice.
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Linebackers
If you’ve been paying attention to the Chiefs play on defense, you’ll already be aware that the Linebackers have been the weakest link in the chain. I say… have been… because that may change with the recovery and re-insertion, of Willie Gay. However, he may, or may not, play this week so we’ll have o put that projected LB improvement off until we see him hit the field, as well as a few offensive players.
Matt Milano (Questionable), Tremaine Edmunds, and A.J. Klein are head and shoulders better than the Chiefs top three of Anthony Hitchens, Nick Bolton, and Willie Gay, even if Gay plays. If not, then the utilization of Ben Niemann brings the evaluation of this group even lower. I give the better Linebackers ranking to the Bills, going away, especially when you consider how each has played this year.
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Cornerbacks
Tre’Davious White was the player the Buffalo Bills selected with the pick they added when they traded away the 10th pick in the 2017 NFL draft so K.C. could jump up and take Patrick Mahomes. No, I don’t think the Chiefs should have done anything other than exactly what they did. However, that also doesn’t mean the Bills didn’t get one of the best CBs to come out in the first round in years.
The Chiefs CB group may turn out to be a very good group, but the Bills CBs, thus far, have been better. Their 2nd best CB, Levi Wallace, is staring his fourth year, he has 5 career sacks, but those have came in the past two years with one coming this season, and it’s during his last two seasons when he’s been coming on and gotten a higher number of defensive snaps.
The Chiefs have no one even in the Tre’Davious White stratosphere, so I have to go, advantage Bills at CB.
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Safety Play
You may be assuming I’m going to give the Chiefs the better ranking at Safety, just because they have one of the top three NFL Safeties in Tyrann Mathieu. You’d only be half right. The Bills Safety pair of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer (who is Questionable for this game) is formidable. Are they a better pair than the 2019 Safety combo if Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill? No. However, with the Chiefs defensive godhead treating 2021 Thornhill like he’s the devil in disguise, it means that Daniel Sorensen is getting the lion’s share of snaps and Sorensen’s play this year has been muddier than Dirty. Sorensen can sometimes be in he right place at the right time and make big plays, but he’s been far more known to miss tackles this year, and it’s just a part of what has been ailing the Chiefs defense during their first four games of 2021. I’m giving the Chiefs and the Bills a tie goes to the runner rating at Safety. As you know, “A tie is like kissing your sister.” –Duffy Daugherty.
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Place Kickers
Fantrax.com ranks Harrison Butker as the best place kicker in the NFL right now. They also rank Tyler Bass, the Bills place kicker as the 6th best. If this game comes down to a FG by a place kicker, “God bless us every one.” Sorry, I’m a couple of months early on that one.
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Head Coaching
Sean McDermott is part of the Andy Reid coaching tree. Are they essentially the same coach? Not really. However, I don’t see a huge enough difference that makes me think McDermott will out-coach Reid in this game.
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Summary: Best of the Rest
While I expect the Chiefs big four to dominate this game, the Chiefs defensive performances thus far have been, bad-Halloween-costume-bad, at best. As far as the rest of their roster’s are concerned, it looks like the Bills have the upper hand. That’s not to say they will win on Sunday, but it should end up making for a much closer game than any Chiefs fan would like to see.
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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