Bills/Chiefs Preview

The conference championships are this weekend. For the NFC, it will be the battle of the Bay’s as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers to see who will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. While I do think that will be a great game, I think the AFC championship game has potential to be an all time classic. The Buffalo Bills will be traveling to Arrowhead for a meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mahomes update

The biggest concern going into this game is the health status of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Last week against the Cleveland Browns, Mahomes was running and was tackled awkwardly. After he got up, you can tell something was wrong because he stumbled while walking. I assume everyone has seen the injury but watch his head/neck as he was getting tackled.

Patrick Mahomes is headed to the locker room after taking this hit.

(via @NFLBrasil)pic.twitter.com/erfqc4iuvD

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 17, 2021

Mahomes did not come back and it was later revealed that he didn’t hurt his head, it was a nerve in his neck. The tweet below better explains it.

A source has told me

“Patrick passed all of his tests last night. He didn’t actually hit his head, there was a nerve in his neck that got tweaked that made him out of it. He’s getting testing done on his neck/nerve today but did clear all tests last night.” @610SportsKC

— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) January 18, 2021

Mahomes was placed in concussion protocol but did practice today.

Patrick Mahomes, with a helmet, is practicing today.

Sammy Watkins (calf), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle), Bashaud Breeland (protocol with a helmet) & Rashad Fenton (foot) are also practicing.

No Willie Gay (left ankle) & Le’Veon Bell (left knee).

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) January 21, 2021

Mahomes is also dealing with a toe injury and you can tell it was affecting his play last week. We’ll see what happens but I do expect Mahomes to play this weekend.

Ready for the challenge

Transitioning to the Bills now, they are coming off a victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. The main reason why they won, the defense. After having a rough game against the Indianapolis Colts, the defense needed to prepare for Lamar Jackson. After getting over a 100 rushing yards against the Tennessee Titans, the Bills had their hands full. Buffalo needed their defense to step it up and they did just that. Jackson went 14/24, throwing for 162 yards and threw a pick six, which sent Buffalo in a frenzy.

The interception heard round the world. 💯@Taronj11 | #BALvsBUF pic.twitter.com/DdvXuI395e

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 17, 2021

Lamar rushed for 34 yards but did leave the game unfortunately because of injury. Buffalo’s defense did a great job though but they need to be their best if they want to beat the Chiefs. To see more of the Bills defense last week, check out the video below.

The defense BALLED OUT.#BALvsBUF | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/V6bHHtuHC5

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 18, 2021

A chance for redemption

The last time these two teams faced off, it did not go well for the Bills. Mahomes went 21/26, throwing for 225 yards and threw two touchdowns. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire dominated the Bills defense as he rushed for 161 yards on 26 carries. For the Bills, quarterback Josh Allen went 14/27, throwing for 122 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception in that game. The weather did not help the Bills either and the team itself was not playing good football.

However, if you’re a Bills fan, you should feel confident going into this game. Ever since that game, the Bills are a better team than they were and only lost one game. It won’t be easy but if there’s a team who can beat Kansas City, it’s the Bills. Like I mentioned earlier, this game has potential to be a classic.

Battle of lethal offenses

On social media, I’ve noticed a trend all season long. This is the matchup NFL fans wanted. You have two powerhouses colliding for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. When it comes to offense, both of these teams are lethal. Starting off with team offense, Buffalo sits in 2nd and Kansas City sits in 6th. The passing offense is the biggest thing to keep your eye on if you’re watching this game. The Chiefs are the best passing offense and the Bills are 3rd best. Lastly for rushing offense, Kansas City are in 16th and Buffalo are in 20th. Both teams have offenses that can put up 40 points, so it will be interesting to see what transpires.

Final thoughts

This game is going to be a must watch and there is a lot of hype going to this game. I think it will be a high scoring shootout. With all of the weapons each team has on offense, it’s definitely possible it won’t be low scoring. However, each defense is playing really well, so a low scoring game is possible. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be a great game. You can catch the game on CBS with kickoff @6:40 pm.

All stats are credited to Pro Football Reference.

-Zach Jezioro (@ZachJezioro_13)