Strategy And Personnel

PLAYER NOTES

-- WR Stevie Johnson caught only two passes, but one was a big play, a 49-yard TD on a catch-and-run quick slant. But he has only six catches in the first two games.

-- RB Tashard Choice spelled C.J. Spiller on occasion and rushed eight times for 37 yards.

-- WR Donald Jones played a good portion of the game in the slot replacing David Nelson, but he caught only one pass for minus-one yard.

-- WR T.J. Graham made his NFL debut and caught one pass for seven yards, a quick screen. The Bills did not attempt any deep passes to the speedster.

-- FS Jairus Byrd had the Bills' lone interception, though it came on the game's final play in the end zone on a ball Matt Cassel threw up for grabs. He injured his foot during the game, but x-rays were negative and he is expected to be fine.

-- WR/QB Brad Smith made his debut after sitting out the first game with a groin injury and he caught one pass for 16 yards and ran several plays out of the wildcat formation.

REPORT CARD VS. CHIEFS

PASSING OFFENSE
B-plus -- This was exactly the kind of game the Bills should try to copy each week. Oft-erratic Ryan Fitzpatrick attempted only 19 passes and the game was not on his shoulders because the running game was the primary focus. This makes sense because the Bills' best two offensive players are both RBs - C.J. Spiller and the injured Fred Jackson. Fitzpatrick completed 10 passes for 178 yards and two TDs, and more important, he wasn't sacked and he did not commit a turnover. Stevie Johnson's lone productive play was a beauty, a 49-yard catch-and-run TD on a quick slant. TE Scott Chandler had two big catches, a 43-yarder, and then a 10-yard TD. The Bills got almost nothing from their other WRs - T.J. Graham, Brad Smith and Donald Jones.

RUSHING OFFENSE
A -- C.J. Spiller has been the most impressive RB in the league through two weeks as he's rushed for 292 yards and is averaging 10.1 yards per attempt. He had 123 yards against the Chiefs, plus caught three passes for 47 yards and scored twice. Spiller has taken over the starting role from injured Fred Jackson, and for as valuable as Jackson has been when he's healthy, he may be playing second fiddle to Spiller if the third-year pro keeps playing like this. He has been explosive, showing patience while waiting for the hole to develop and then ripping through. The Bills' line has been superb as the team now has 396 yards rushing in two games.

PASS DEFENSE
B-minus -- It was a much better performance for the secondary against the Chiefs' Matt Cassel, and it was due in large part to the line dominating up front. The Bills racked up five sacks, including two by Kyle Williams and one each by Alex Carrington, Kelvin Sheppard and Marcell Dareus. With no time to throw, Cassel was erratic, and while he finished with 301 passing yards, 144 of that came after Buffalo had opened a 35-3 lead. Rookie CB Stephon Gilmore had three of the Bills' nine pass breakups, and DE Mario Williams recovered a fumble after Carrington's sack.

RUSH DEFENSE
B -- The Bills did a nice job on Jamaal Charles and he wasn't even a factor with three yards on six carries. Peyton Hillis gained 66 yards, but much of that came in garbage time when the Bills were playing dime defense. The front four controlled the line of scrimmage and the Chiefs never got anything established on the ground as their 150 yards were vastly misleading.

SPECIAL TEAMS
B-minus -- Leodis McKelvin had a dynamic 88-yard punt return for a TD, one of the highlights of the day. The Bills' punt coverage team struggled again as the Chiefs returned four of Brian Moorman's punts for a 15.3-yard average including a 21-yarder by Steve Breaston. Moorman averaged 49.9 gross, but his net was only 38.3. John Potter had four touchbacks on his six kickoffs.

COACHING
C -- Chan Gailey had a much better day calling the offensive plays. He crafted a plan heavily reliant on the run because of what he gleaned from film study, and he stuck to it, feeding the ball to the dangerous C.J. Spiller. There were some odd calls in the third quarter when he went back to the pass, but it didn't matter in the end. On defense, the Bills were much more aggressive in their rush packages, often sending blitzers to harass Matt Cassel and the result was five sacks and three turnovers. Defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt also had his CBs playing more physical in press coverage and it disrupted the Chiefs.

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