ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills left the field Sunday night with a well-rounded win against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Quarterback Josh Allen looked in MVP form, throwing just three incomplete passes with no off-target throws. The passing game found success through the team's tight ends (149 yards) and running back James Cook had yet another 100-yard rushing performance.
Defensively, the Bills pass rush matched well with the secondary and limited Patrick Mahomes to the lowest single-game completion percentage of his career (44.1%).
The 28-21 win improved Buffalo to 6-2, kept the team in step with the New England Patriots (7-2) ahead of them and the rest of the AFC. But, of course, the goals for the Bills are much larger, and that's important to keep in mind with the trade deadline almost here (Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET).
A trade deadline that was already filled with question marks for the Bills got even murkier as defensive end Michael Hoecht suffered a torn right Achilles against the Chiefs, after playing just one game and three quarters with the team following a six-game suspension.
The Bills defense has been inundated with injuries, especially up front. They also still need help at wide receiver. So, where do the Bills go from here? A hurdle for Buffalo is sitting with the lowest cap room in the league ($1.6 million). Roster spots are available as Hoecht is set to be placed on injured reserve and returner Brandon Codrington has been a healthy scratch four times this season.
General manager Brandon Beane has shown a willingness to trade in-season as evidenced by moves for wide receiver Amari Cooper and cornerback Rasul Douglas in recent years.
Here's a look at the top positions for the Bills to possibly add:
Wide receiver
The Bills' passing game got going against the Chiefs via the tight ends, but the lack of outside wide receiver production remains an area to watch.
Outside of Khalil Shakir, Bills wide receivers were targeted just five times against Kansas City and all of the downfield passing plays came on throws to tight ends. It's a good thing for the Bills offense that tight end Dalton Kincaid is taking steps forward and that rookie Jackson Hawes is continuing to develop.
Allen continues to average the fewest air yards per attempted pass of his career (7.3) and the lowest percentage of attempts 20 or more yards downfield (10.8%).
The Bills showed against the Chiefs the potential of the two-dimensional nature of this offense, but it would be enhanced by adding an outside receiver to the mix.
Defensive tackle
This is pretty cut-and-dried. Before the injury to Hoecht, this appeared to be the position to watch as it is the one most impacted by injury after Ed Oliver's torn left biceps put him out indefinitely. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (calf) has also missed three games and has yet to return to practice, while rookie T.J. Sanders is on injured reserve. Coach Sean McDermott said his hope is that Sanders could return "in the next few weeks," but that is uncertain.
McDermott and Beane often prioritize the lines, so this is an area to watch. But Hoecht's injury has shifted attention elsewhere.
Edge rusher
In seven quarters of work, Hoecht brought new energy to the defensive line, evidenced in the back-to-back disruptive performances against the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs (10 sacks in the past two games). The team will test the depth behind a player it was very excited about and someone Beane said Buffalo had been tracking before signing him to a three-year deal this offseason.
Keeping starters Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa healthy and available for the postseason is a priority, making depth that much more important. One player whom they will be looking to if no moves are made is second-year player Javon Solomon.
This can be an expensive position to bolster, as seen in the Philadelphia Eagles giving up a third-round pick for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelen Phillips, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter
Other positions?
Adding to safety would be a bit of a surprise even with starter Taylor Rapp undergoing knee surgery and likely being out for the season, as the team views that as a key position and wouldn't necessarily be so quick to hand a position over to a new player.
Without Rapp, veteran Jordan Poyer has started with rookie Jordan Hancock also taking on a bigger role and subbing in for Poyer at times, especially in clear passing situations (career high 43.3% of defensive snaps against Chiefs).