To get the Kansas City Chiefs back in the win column after their first defeat in 11 months, coach Andy Reid turned his playbook upside down in Monday night's game against the Buffalo Bills.

For only the second time in Patrick Mahomes' 37 career starts, the Chiefs ran the ball more than they passed it. They were rewarded for the change with a 26-17 victory.

The Chiefs rushed for 245 yards on Monday, their most since 2012. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the way with 161 yards.

Kansas City (5-1) also had 46 rushes, tied for the most attempts by any Reid-coached team, regular or postseason, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. (Reid coached the Philadelphia Eagles for 14 seasons before becoming the Chiefs' coach in 2013.)

Mahomes was still efficient, going 21-of-26 with two first-half touchdown passes to Travis Kelce. But Mahomes threw for only 225 yards on a rainy night at Buffalo (4-2).

But days after signing veteran back Le'Veon Bell to provide an offensive spark, the running game was the star even without Bell. He can't join the Chiefs until later this week because of COVID-19 testing protocols.

The Chiefs played most of the game without two starting offensive linemen. Guard Kelechi Osemele tore a tendon in each of his knees in last week's game, while tackle Mitchell Schwartz left the game for good in the first half because of a back injury.

The Chiefs led for a significant portion of last week's game against the Raiders, but Mahomes still dropped back 46 times with 43 passes and three sacks. Chiefs running backs had just 11 carries, with 10 going to Edwards-Helaire.

The loss to the Raiders broke the Chiefs' 13-game winning streak, including the playoffs and Super Bowl LIV.