In Kansas City this week, Chiefs coach Andy Reid answered a question about his Bills counterpart Sean McDermott by noting they’re both redheads. In Buffalo, McDermott mentioned the kick he gets out of Reid saying “great googly-moogly” in a Snickers commercial to reveal his playful side.

“For so long, I think people, the outside public, only saw one side of him,” McDermott said of his former boss in Philadelphia. “It’s fun to see his true personality come out.”

This is what amounts to trash-talking as Josh Allen and the AFC East-leading Bills (8-2) prepare to host Patrick Mahomes and the undefeated Chiefs (9-0) tonight in one of this season’s juiciest matchups.

The coaches’ comments reflect their respect for each other. Their bond goes well beyond football.

Their relationship began in 1999, when Reid took over coaching the Eagles and McDermott joined the team as a scouting coordinator. The friendship endured Reid firing McDermott as Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator after the 2010 season, with McDermott calling it one of the most influential developmental points of his career.

And it makes no difference to McDermott, in his eighth season in Buffalo, to find Reid and the Chiefs standing in the way of the Bills reaching their ultimate goal. Although McDermott is 4-1 against Reid in the regular season since taking over the Bills in 2017, he’s 0-3 in the playoffs.

“He’s a great coach. He’ll be a Hall of Fame coach. He already is, really, even though he’s not retired yet,” McDermott said.

“Listen, there’s always somebody that you’re trying to get past, right, to accomplish the goal that you want to accomplish,” he added. “So I don’t care what walk of life you’re in or what sport you’re in or whatever it is. There’s always a challenge in front of you.”

The challenge tonight is facing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, who are off to a franchise-best-matching start to a season and are one win short of tying the team’s longest in-season winning streak.

Just as impressive is the Chiefs winning seven one-score games, with four decided on the final play. That includes last weekend, when Leo Chenal blocked Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired in a 16-14 victory over Denver.

“That was probably the epitome of it,” Reid said of his team’s resilience. “You give credit to your locker room and your coaches just for being mentally tough and sticking with it.”

McDermott has Buffalo on a 5-0 roll and 8-2 for the first time since 1993. The Bills are already closing in on a fifth straight AFC East title. All this in a year that began with lowered expectations after an offseason roster overhaul. The Bills have persevered through an assortment of injuries plus a four-game league-issued suspension to Von Miller.

The one thing missing from Buffalo’s resume is a win over a quality opponent. Arizona (6-4) is the only team the Bills have defeated that enters Week 11 with a winning record, while their two losses are against Baltimore (7-3) and Houston (6-4).

McDermott dismissed questions about the schedule and the chance to beat the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team.

“We get our ninth win,” McDermott said, of what a victory on Sunday would mean.

The true test for Buffalo, perhaps, comes not in November, but in January, should the teams meet in the playoffs for a fourth time in five years.

Leave it to Allen to shed light on what fuels him, after being asked to reflect on how his and Mahomes’ numbers are nearly the same over their previous seven meetings.

“Well, I know we haven’t beaten them in the playoffs,” Allen said. “So that’s the only thing that kind of matters.”

SEAHAWKS AT 49ERS

The Seahawks haven’t defeated the 49ers since Wilson was their quarterback in 2021. San Francisco has won six straight in the series, including a playoff victory. Seattle is a long way from its 3-0 start under rookie coach Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks are coming off a bye, and they have the NFL’s No. 1 passing offense behind Geno Smith but their defense is bottom third. The 49ers just got Christian McCaffrey back last week and this is the time of year when they go on a run. They were 9-0 after a bye in 2022, 6-0 after it last season and started 1-0 with last week’s win in Tampa Bay. Brock Purdy had an excellent game against the Buccaneers and is 5-0 with a passer rating above 115 against the Seahawks.

BENGALS AT CHARGERS

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals had a shot to knock off the Ravens last week, but blew a 14-point lead and then couldn’t convert a 2-point conversion at the end. Burrow is playing his best football but has a tough challenge against a defense that has two straight games of six sacks or more. The Chargers are giving up the fewest points per game (13.1) and Justin Herbert has benefited from a strong rushing attack.

PACKERS AT BEARS

Fresh off a bye, the Packers seek their first NFC North victory after losing to the two teams ahead of the them: Detroit and Minnesota. Jordan Love has thrown 10 picks in 240 attempts. Caleb Williams has struggled during a three-game losing streak and the Bears fired their offensive coordinator this week. Maybe a fresh voice can help Williams get going.

JAGUARS AT LIONS

The Lions found a way to win a difficult road game in Houston despite Jared Goff’s five interceptions. With tougher games coming up, they can’t afford a letdown against the overmatched Jaguars. Jacksonville might be the biggest disappointment in the league this season. The Jaguars are 1-6 in one-score games and have lost 13 of 16 since an 8-3 start last year after winning their division in 2022. Mascot Jaxson De Ville might be the team’s MVP.

VIKINGS AT TITANS

Sam Darnold is starting to show why he’s on his fourth team, but the Vikings are still winning thanks to a stout defense. Darnold has five interceptions in the past two games and is tied with Love and Geno Smith for the most interceptions in the NFL with 10. Will Levis returned from injury and had his best game for the Titans in another loss. Tennessee still has the top-ranked defense in the league, giving up the fewest yards per game.

RAIDERS AT DOLPHINS

Miami’s offense is almost back on track with Tua Tagovailoa and the defense stepped up in a road win against the Rams on Monday night. The Dolphins can climb back into the AFC wild-card race with two winnable games coming up against the lowly Raiders and the Patriots. Las Vegas returns from a bye with three new assistant coaches. The Raiders have bigger issues. The offense can’t score and the defense can’t stop opponents from finding the end zone. A short week for Miami off a West Coast game prevents a rout.

RAMS AT PATRIOTS

The inconsistent Rams blew a chance to better position themselves for a playoff run with a home loss to Miami. They’ve got an opportunity to rebound against an overmatched team that’s coming off an impressive road win. Drake Maye has been a bright spot for the Patriots and earned his first win as a starter in Chicago. New England sacked Caleb Williams nine times and could make it a long afternoon for Matthew Stafford.

BROWNS AT SAINTS

Jameis Winston returns to New Orleans where he started 10 games in four seasons with the Saints. Winston excelled while leading the Browns to an upset win over the Ravens in his first start and struggled in his second. The Browns are coming off a bye and aren’t as bad as their record. The Saints upset the first-place Falcons in interim coach Darren Rizzi’s debut. They haven’t turned the ball over in three games, though only won once. Cleveland’s Nick Chubb could have a breakout game against a bottom-six run defense in his fourth game back.

COLTS AT JETS

The Colts are going back to Anthony Richardson after Joe Flacco had six turnovers, including four interceptions, in the past two games. Cornerback Kenny Moore doesn’t think his teammates are working hard enough. The Jets are more of a mess. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t made an impact. The offense is 26th in yards and averaging just 17.7 points per game. New York’s defense has gone downhill since Robert Saleh was fired. Someone has to win, though.

RAVENS AT STEELERS

The Steelers have dominated this rivalry, winning seven of the past eight games. Wilson gets his first taste of it after leading Pittsburgh to three straight wins in his first three games. The Ravens have the No. 1 rushing offense and are first overall in total yards. But the Steelers are fourth against the run. Jackson is 2-4 with four TDs, seven interceptions and a 66.8 passer rating against Baltimore. The Ravens are 1-5 ATS in their past six games vs. Steelers.

FALCONS AT BRONCOS

The Falcons couldn’t overcome Younghoe Koo’s three missed field goals in New Orleans. Now, Kirk Cousins and the rest of Atlanta’s offense face a tough challenge in Denver against the league’s fifth-ranked defense. Bo Nix outplayed Mahomes last week and should have plenty of time to throw facing the league’s worst pass rush. Sean Payton has to make sure the Broncos aren’t sulking after a crushing loss in Kansas City.