Chiefs at Bills
The revenge factor will be alive and well when the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Chiefs were crushed 41-7 at home by the Bills in their 2011 opener and lost 2010 Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry for the season with a torn ACL after a questionable downfield block by Buffalo wide receiver Steve Johnson. The teams combined to allow 88 points in season-opening losses last week. Since the NFL expanded its postseason to 12 teams in 1990, only 22 of the 184 teams (12 percent) that started 0-2 made the playoffs. Buffalo will be without running back Fred Jackson, who vowed to be back in four weeks, and receiver David Nelson, who is out for the season. Both suffered knee injuries last week.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Bills -3.5, O/U 44.5
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (0-1): Linebacker Tamba Hali, who had 12 sacks in 2011, returns after missing Kansas City's 40-24 home loss to Atlanta last week while serving a one-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Three Chiefs who missed all or a great majority of 2011 with torn left ACLs played against the Falcons. Berry had two tackles and a deflected pass; tight end Tony Moeaki, who missed the entire season after suffering his injury in the preseason, had three catches for 37 yards; and running back Jamaal Charles, who went down in Week 2, rushed for 87 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Matt Cassel threw two interceptions last week as the Chiefs had three turnovers. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe needs 20 yards to become the eighth Chief with 5,000 career receiving yards.
ABOUT THE BILLS (0-1): Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick must step up without his top running back and No. 2 receiver. He threw three touchdown passes last week, but they came after his three interceptions helped the New York Jets build a 41-7 lead in the third quarter en route to their 48-28 victory. C.J. Spiller took over in the second quarter after Jackson was injured and ran for a career-high 169 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown run. New Bills defensive ends Mark Anderson and Mario Williams, brought in to resuscitate a pass rush that produced only 29 sacks last season, combined for one tackle last week. Buffalo defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is expected to play after mourning the death of his brother, Simeon Gilmore, who was shot and killed over the weekend during a burglary in Alabama.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Five of last season's 12 playoff teams lost their 2011 opener.
2. The Bills have won seven of their last eight at home against the Chiefs.
3. Hall has 53.5 career sacks, third on the all-time Chiefs list behind Derrick Thomas (125) and Neil Smith (83).