Only the Buffalo Bills stand between the Kansas City Chiefs and consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Rarely has staring at a grid of numbers induced such goosebumps as when I look through stats for a Chiefs playoff game, as if that finally makes it all real. The historically unprecedented nature of this era in Chiefs history amplifies the intensity of every second of football we witness. So, how can Kansas City overcome Buffalo and keep the good times rolling?
Patrick Mahomes, by virtue of being phenomenally good at his job, is the story in Kansas City sports most of the time. Today will be no different, not only because of his greatness, but because of the Bills' recent history of struggling against top-shelf quarterback talent. Buffalo faced three QB's with a top-ten Passer Rating in the regular season. They lost to Ryan Tannehill's Titans in Week 5, then to Patrick's Chiefs in Week 6. The Bills later went on to win a 44-34 shootout with the Russel Wilson-led Seahawks in Week 9. To be fair, Buffalo also faced the guy with the league's 11th-best Passer Rating last week, when Lamar Jackson only put three points on the board for the Baltimore Ravens.
Buffalo typically excels at limiting the success of the opposition's quarterback. They looked impressive against Baltimore last week, who seemed unstoppable in the weeks leading up to their early playoff exit. The Bills also succeeded with their blitz strategy when facing Baltimore, sacking Lamar Jackson four times and hitting him eight times. That was an impressive showing from Buffalo, but we all know Lamar and Mahomes are two totally different players.
The Bills now have the unenviable task of traveling to Arrowhead to slow down a guy who's on pace to become the greatest quarterback this planet ever produced. A respectable Buffalo defense that features elite cornerback play from Tre'Davious White needs to limit Patrick's success throwing to Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and other athletic pass-catching options. Josh Allen's offense looks excellent this season, and their 396.4 passing yards per game ranks second-best in the NFL. Unfortunately for them, the Chiefs averaged over 19 more passing yards than anyone else.
This evening, just after the sun sets on a chilly Kansas City day in January, our Chiefs take the field at Arrowhead with a chance to keep chasing the dream of a dynasty. Men like Tyrann Mathieu, Andy Reid and obviously Patrick Mahomes live for these moments. I expect them to take the reigns and lead our Chiefs to a 34-27 victory. Please, if it's safe, enjoy this with people who love football and love you.
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