The Kansas City Chiefs entered their bye after a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, though the defense got some good news in the aftermath.
Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams won’t face a punishment for an alleged hip-drop tackle against Buffalo Bills running back James Cook during the Week 9 contest, per the league’s Office of Gameday Accountability.
Williams’ name was absent from a list of 26 players whom the league chose to fine to varying degrees Saturday for varying on-field violations stemming from Week 9 games. Among those who saw fines was actually Bills quarterback Josh Allen, whom the NFL penalized to the tune of nearly $15,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct via a “violent gesture” late in the third quarter of the contest.
Williams, a third-round rookie out of California, has 22 tackles and three pass breakups on the season. He has appeared in all nine games, earning one start for the Chiefs so far in 2025.
James Cook Unlikely to Miss Time Due to Injury Suffered in Bills-Chiefs Game
GettyRunning back James Cook of the Buffalo Bills.
Cook has dealt with ankle issues this season, which the play involving Williams last weekend exacerbated.
Cook sat out practice Wednesday and was a limited participant on Thursday, per Buffalo’s official injury report. However, the running back returned to practice in a full capacity on Friday won’t likely miss time due to the ankle.
“I’m ready to go,” Cook told Kay Adams via her “Up & Adams” show Thursday. “I’ll be out there when it’s time to play on Sunday.”
The league doesn’t base fines on whether officials flagged a player for the specific play in question during a game, nor does the NFL take into account injuries.
That said, whether Williams’ defensive stop was actually a hip-drop tackle was inconclusive. That fact, combined with Cook’s likelihood of playing Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, equate to the league’s choice not to punish Williams for the play as probably being the right decision.
Bills safety Cole Bishop also avoided punishment from the NFL for a vicious, but clean-looking, hit on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in the end zone near the end of the first half of the contest. Both men left the field early, just before halftime, with trainers following the collision. However, both returned to the game in the second half.
Chiefs Return From Bye Week With 2 Crucial Games Against Top NFL Opponents
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs are now 5-4 and on the outside looking in at the AFC playoff picture, currently sitting in the No. 8 spot in the AFC (seven teams from each conference make the playoffs).
Following the bye, Kansas City will face the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts in back-to-back games. Both teams are 7-2 and tied for the best record in the NFL.
“We’ve had great moments, we’ve had bad moments. We gotta be more consistent as a team, I gotta be more consistent at quarterback,” Patrick Mahomes said. “We’ve kind of been in a lot of these tight, close games in our history, but they’re not going our way now. So how can we deal with that adversity? How can we be better and learn from it? You can only learn from so many losses. You gotta learn from it fast. And it’s gonna be an uphill battle when we get back, but I think our guys are up to it.”
