ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills defensive end Michael Hoecht waved away the cart after injuring his right Achilles in the fourth quarter Sunday, wanting to watch his team finish off a 28-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
A banged-up defense made a statement in helping the Bills improve to 6-2 but in the process lost yet another impactful player to injury, as it was confirmed after the game that Hoecht suffered a torn Achilles. The injury will likely end his season.
"How about that? He wanted to see the game," Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said of Hoecht taking a seat on the bench instead of the cart. "That's just awesome [he wanted to stay out]. I felt terrible for him."
Hoecht was injured with 14:25 remaining. As the ball was snapped on third-and-17, Hoecht leaned down and tried to keep rushing before he was seen lifting up his right leg and jumping up and down while not putting any weight on it.
He was assisted to the bench and looked at by athletic trainers. After the game, Hoecht left the stadium on a cart with crutches and a walking boot on his right foot.
"It's a big loss," McDermott said. "I thought he gave us a certain level of toughness, smarts, knowing how to play the game."
Hoecht's start to his Bills tenure was brief, lasting a game and three quarters. He made his debut in the team's Week 8 win over the Carolina Panthers after serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances.
He made a splash in his limited time, recording two sacks over the two games, helping to bring energy to the defense and playing inside and out.
"We've got to find somebody else that is going to step up. It's kind of one of those years," McDermott said. "We've been tasked with doing that, and tonight you saw it again. You can never replace one player, that said, it's about the team.
"So, we've got to continue to figure out how we can manufacture wins at this point. Who is next up? That's why we continue to tell the guys who may not be playing yet, make sure you're ready."
The Bills were without three other defensive starters against Kansas City -- defensive tackles DaQuan Jones (calf) and Ed Oliver (torn left biceps, out indefinitely) and nickel corner Taron Johnson (groin).
Despite those injuries, Patrick Mahomes was held to the lowest completion percentage of his career (44.1%) and took 15 quarterback hits.
Buffalo pressed Mahomes on 18 of 38 dropbacks (47%), the highest pressure rate he has faced in a game this season. The Bills put that pressure on Mahomes despite blitzing on only four of his 38 dropbacks (11%), their lowest rate of the season and less than half their season average of 24%.
Defensive end Greg Rousseau had a big game with six total tackles and nine pressures (0.5 sack), his third-most pressures in his career per NextGen Stats, as did defensive end Joey Bosa, who had a sack, five quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.
"We did a good job at just being disciplined in our rush today, making him think he had openings and then taking him away," defensive end AJ Epenesa said. "I mean, whenever you can do that on a consistent basis and keep someone as mobile and as talented as Mahomes in the pocket and kind of making him uncomfortable ... that's a win for us."
Young players made an impact in the defensive backfield as safety Cole Bishop had four passes defensed and a team-high seven tackles, while rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston had his first interception off Mahomes with just over four minutes left.
Mahomes had 23 passing yards on attempts with fewer than 2.5 seconds to the throw, the second fewest of his NFL career (including playoffs) and fewest since Week 17 of the 2019 season, per NextGen Stats.
The defense also sealed the deal as Mahomes threw three straight incomplete passes to end the game from the Buffalo 40-yard line.
"We take every game as a big game," Hairston said. "But just to do that tonight to finish, to close out the game, it was just one of them games that you just love, bro, like you just dream to be a part of."