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The Buffalo Bills know their AFC Championship game opponent very well. And perhaps the Bills X-factor can make noise against the Chiefs. Also, here is the Chiefs' fatal flaw the Bills must exploit in the battle for a Super Bowl berth.
It will be the ninth time Josh Allen has squared off against Patrick Mahomes with a 4-4 draw currently sitting on the fence. However, Mahomes has a 3-0 mark against Allen in the postseason. The Chiefs won 27-24 in the Divisional Round last year.
There are plenty of reasons to believe the Chiefs can get it done. They are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. They have Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Also, they have Travis Kelce and Chris Jones.
But the Chiefs have a problem …
The Chiefs’ fatal flaw is their previous success
The worst part about this is the Chiefs can’t do anything about it. What they’ve accomplished is in the books and will stay there. However, in the ultra-competitive world of the NFL, it’s so hard to stay on top.
Teams come after champions, and they come after them hard. The Bills will go full bore with relentlessness.
However, to make the fatal flaw work against the Chiefs, the Bills must do one simple thing. They must force at least one, perhaps two, Kansas City turnovers.
One of the reasons the Chiefs have won so many close games is the fact Mahomes cut off his interception supply to opposing defenses. He tossed at least one in each of the Chiefs’ first seven games. In his last 10 games, nine of them finished without him throwing a pick.
That’s a big advantage in close games. And here’s the other kicker to this story. In the one game Mahomes got picked over the last 10, it came against the Bills. Mahomes offered up two interceptions and the Bills handed the Chiefs their only loss of the season when all of their starters played.
It’s a simple formula for victory. Pick off Mahomes and the Chiefs will see a chink in their mighty armor.
Another part of the approach is having fun.
The Bills already know the pressure is on the Chiefs. So all the Bills need to do is prepare well and play well, which is what Josh Allen talked about, according to buffalobills.com.
“One, have a good week of practice,” Allen said. “Making sure that what we're putting into the game plan, guys are understanding it. And going out there and practicing hard. Then when we get on the field on Sunday, just trust in the game plan, trusting in each other, and have fun playing the game.”
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Also, the Bills need to absorb the moment and enjoy the great chance they have.
“Every year that you go through in this league, you learn more things about yourself,” Allen said. “About your team, about the game of football. We're just grateful and humbled to have another opportunity at it. It's another week that we get to play. There's only four teams playing right now, so we look at that and we just love the opportunity that we have.
“We've gone on the road, we've played at home. Our fans travel everywhere and anywhere that we play. We've got the best fans in the NFL and just love. I think that the connection with our fan base is unique in the NFL.”
Also, Allen said he and his teammates need to understand the moment. The Chiefs are chasing history, taking on all the trappings. Meanwhile, the Bills are simply trying to get there.
“Just making sure that they understand that this doesn't happen all the time for every team and being in the moment like this,” Allen said. “There's a lot of guys who have played a lot of years in this league that have never played in the playoffs. Let alone in the AFC championship game. Making sure that they're enjoying the moment as well. At the end of the day we're playing football and it's the same kids' game that I grew up loving and I'm just very grateful to be here.”
Chiefs know where they stand
CBS Sports analyst Tony Romo said the Bills need to prove they’ve learned from the past, according to CBS Sports YouTube page via buffalobills.com.
“I also think that preparation sometimes you can only learn through experience,” Romo said. “Right now, we're going to find out if Buffalo has learned from their past experiences when they go to Kansas City and take on the champs. We're sitting there waiting. I thought this week was going to be huge. I can't even imagine by next week. Man, this is gonna be fun.”
Colin Cowherd said he thinks the Bills will end the reign of the Chiefs.
“I think Buffalo's going to go ahead into Arrowhead and win,” Cowherd said. “They're pretty healthy. Milano again, making nice plays. I think Josh Allen and Mahomes have separated themselves as the best two quarterbacks in the league. I think Kansas City or Buffalo are going to win the Super Bowl, one of those two.”
Despite all of the things they’ve done to this point, the Chiefs paint themselves as the underdogs. The funny thing is, they’re doing it to try to motivate themselves. But the truth of the matter is they are underdogs. And they know it. And it galls them. They know they have to prove it because the last two Super Bowls don’t count for anything once this game kicks off.
