Game day blog: Chiefs defeat Bills 26-17 in Buffalo

7:16 p.m. | The Kansas City Chiefs address the media following their win Monday night.

7:15 p.m. | Clyde Edwards-Helaire showed new teammate Le’Veon Bell and the rest of the NFL how dominant the Kansas City Chiefs’ running attack is already.

The rookie had 161 yards rushing and Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Travis Kelce, leading the Chiefs to a 26-17 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Monday night's game was originally scheduled for last Thursday.

Mahomes finished 21 of 26 for 225 yards.

His first scoring toss to Kelce was the 90th of his career in his 37th game, breaking the NFL record for fewest games to 90 TD passes.

Josh Allen had a quiet night for Buffalo, going 14 of 27 for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

6:58 p.m. | The Chiefs rebounded from last week’s loss with a dominating 26-17 win at Buffalo, improving to 5-1 this season.

6:51 p.m. | Harrison Butker makes it a nine-point game with a 30-yard field goal. It's now 26-17 with 1:56 left in the game.

6:32 p.m. | The Bills score a touchdown, narrowing the Chiefs' lead to 23-17 with 6:34 left in the game.

6:25 p.m. | Harrison Butker kicks a 37-yard field goal to extend the Chiefs' lead to 23-10 over the Bills with 9:07 remaining in the game.

6:04 p.m. | The Chiefs score the first touchdown of the second half, making it 20-10 with 1:18 left in the third quarter.

5:44 p.m. | Alex Okafor (hamstring) and Mitchell Schwartz (back) were both downgraded to out, according to the Chiefs.

5:25 p.m. | The Chiefs lead the Bills 13-10 after the first half of an AFC showdown in Buffalo.

5:23 p.m. | Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor (hamstring) is questionable to return.

5:05 p.m. | Patrick Mahomes finds Travis Kelce on a 12-yard pass for another Chiefs touchdown. Harrison Butker misses the extra point, giving the Chiefs a 13-10 lead over the Bills late in the second quarter.

4:53 p.m. | The Bills take back the lead after a touchdown. It's now 10-7 in Buffalo with 11:22 left in the second quarter.

4:32 p.m. | Kansas City scores a touchdown, making it 7-3 in Buffalo with 3:05 left in the first quarter.

4:28 p.m. | The Bills knock down a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead over the Chiefs with 5:42 left in the first quarter.

4:25 p.m. | Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is questionable to return with a back injury, according to the Chiefs.

4 p.m. | The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have kicked off their Monday afternoon AFC showdown in Buffalo.

2:50 p.m. | Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who was a late addition to the Chiefs' injury report last week, is active for this afternoon's game at the Buffalo Bills.

Kansas City will have to replace Kelechi Osemele at left guard. Coach Andy Reid said earlier in the week Mike Remmers would get the start in his place.

For the first time since signing with the Chiefs during the offseason, Ricky Seals-Jones is active along with Yasir Durant, an undrafted offensive lineman from Mizzou.

Seals-Jones has 60 career receptions and eight touchdowns in three season with the Arizona Cardinals and Clevelend Browns. He joins Travis Kelce and Deon Yelder among the Chiefs' active tight ends.

Durant was active against Baltimore earlier in the season after Andrew Wylie was hospitalized before the game, but he did not see the field.

2:30 p.m. | Ninety minutes before kickoff, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have announced their lists of inactive players.

Wide receiver Sammy Watkins was ruled out Saturday after being unable to practice with a hamstring injury, while newly signed Le'Veon Bell still must clear the NFL's COVID-19 protocol before joining the team:

Chiefs inactives
WR Sammy Watkins
RB Le’Veon Bell
RB DeAndre Washington
LB Darius Harris
DE Demone Harris

Outside linebacker Matt Milano (pec) is the biggest loss for the Bills. He has 18 tackles, a sack and an interception this season.

Milano was questionable on Buffalo's final injury report. Cornerback Tre'Davious (back) and wide receiver John Brown (knee) also were questionable, but both will be active.

Brown played collegiately at Pittsburg (Kansas) State. Here are the Bills' inactives:

Bills inactives
QB Jake Fromm
RB T.J. Yeldon
LB Matt Milano
OL Quinton Spain
TE Dawson Knox
DE Trent Murphy
DT Harrison Phillips

EARLIER | So, the Chiefs did some things this week. Maybe you heard about a mid-week running back signing.

Kansas City fans are understandably excited about the addition of running back Le’Veon Bell, a former two-time All-Pro from his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers who was cut last Tuesday by the New York Jets after clashes with coach Adam Gase.

The Chiefs signed Bell to a one-year contract, a signing that dominated the conversation on this week’s “4th & 1” podcast with co-hosts Tod Palmer and Nick Jacobs.

Bell will be an interesting addition to a Chiefs offense that has struggled uncharacteristically in a few games, including a terrible third quarter in the loss last week to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kansas City, which dropped to 4-1 last week, vowed to “get real” about the problems Las Vegas exposed in preparation for a key matchup against Buffalo, which is also 4-1.

Of course, Bell — who has to pass a few more COVID-19 tests before he can enter team facilities, per NFL protocols — won’t be a factor when the Chiefs suit up for a key AFC clash Monday afternoon at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who Kansas City drafted in the first round last spring, will remain the feature back — and signing Bell wasn’t a referendum on his performance in 2020.

Edwards-Helaire is averaging more than 100 yards per game from scrimmage through his first five NFL games, but the Chiefs’ needed depth at the position with Damien Williams on the COVID-19 opt-out list.

The Chiefs’ depth at wide receiver also will be tested against the Bills with Sammy Watkins sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury in the loss to the Raiders.

Mecole Hardman Jr. will get the first crack at picking up the slack for Watkins, who plays a vital role in underneath and intermediate routes from the slot for Kansas City’s attack.

According to the final injury report, the Chiefs also will be without left guard Kelechi Osemele, who tore tendons in both knees while running to make a block against Vegas.

Veteran offseason free-agent addition Mike Remmers will step in at left guard for Osemele. He started at right guard against Baltimore when Andrew Wylie was taken to hospital a few hours before the game.

After struggling against the Raiders, the offensive line already was a concern, one that wasn’t alleviated by losing Osemele and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz’s late addition to the team’s injury report.

Schwartz has never missed a game in his nine-year, 133-game career, but he officially is listed as questionable with a back injury.

Fullback Anthony Sherman, a long-time special teams ace for the Chiefs, won’t play after being added to the reserve/COVID-19 list last week.

Linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who missed Thursday’s practice due to illness, returned Friday and Saturday and should be available against Buffalo.

If you missed coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other players speaking with the media last week, catch a replay on our Facebook page:

—