Chiefs’ keys vs. Bills: What Andy Reid & Co. need to do to reach the Super Bowl again
The top two remaining seeds in the AFC square off Sunday in the third straight AFC Championship Game played at Arrowhead Stadium.
The matchup between the No. 1 Chiefs and No. 2 Buffalo Bills is a rematch of Week 6, wherein the Chiefs secured a 26-17 win at Bills Stadium. The winner of this game earns the right to play for a league championship in Super Bowl LV.
Sunday marks the 50th time, including playoffs, the Chiefs and Bills will clash. The Bills hold a 26-22-1 advantage in the all-time series. The contest also marks these teams’ fourth all-time postseason meeting, with the Bills winning two the three previous matchups.
Buffalo last appeared in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs after the 1993 season, defeating a Joe Montana-led KC team for a spot in Super Bowl XXVIII. The Chiefs won the first postseason matchup in the 1966-67 AFL Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl I.
The Chiefs enter this game having finished the regular season ranked first in total offense (415.8 yards per game) and passing (303.4), while the Bills ranked second in scoring (31.3 points per game) and third in passing (299.1).
Since Andy Reid became head coach in Kansas City, the Chiefs have won four of five against the Bills and have outscored Buffalo by a 106-81 margin.
Here are four key areas to monitor for the Chiefs as they seek a return to the Super Bowl and defense of their championship.
CORRAL SLIPPERY WIDEOUTS
The Chiefs did a phenomenal job of slowing down quarterback Josh Allen in Week 6, limiting the Bills’ passing game to 122 yards.
Buffalo, however, presents the same receiving weapons in round 2, and they remain a problem.
Stefon Diggs led the league in receiving with 127 catches for 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns on 166 targets en route to first-team All-Pro honors. Diggs remains Allen’s clear No. 1 target and has stayed hot in the postseason, totaling 14 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns in two games.
The Bills also move Diggs across the formation before the snap, making it difficult for defenders to get a bead on him.
“I think he’s probably the most targeted receiver in the NFL,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “So whoever’s in front of him has got top duty.”
In addition to Diggs, the Bills feature Cole Beasley, who this season established career highs in catches (82), receiving yards (967), yard per catch (11.8) and targets (107).
Diggs and Beasley give Allen an ideal one-two punch at wide receiver.
“These guys are dynamic,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “They’ve got one of the better wide receivers in this game in Stefon Diggs. He can line up all over the place. We’ve got to try to make sure we know where he’s at, him and Cole Beasley, one of the best slots in the game, and try to contain those guys.”
GROUND-AND-POUND
The Bills defense elected to play back to take away the Chiefs’ downfield passing attack in Week 6 ... and the Chiefs made them pay.
Not with their passing game, of course, but by unleashing the KC running game.
Chiefs rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a career-high 161 yards on 26 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per touch. Darrel Williams contributed six carries for 26 yards and a game-sealing touchdown run.
As a team, the Chiefs amassed 245 yards rushing the last time they faced the Bills.
Edwards-Helaire is still recovering from hip and ankle injuries suffered in Week 15 and put in a limited practice Wednesday. He didn’t play in the Chiefs’ final two regular-season games or in their win over the Browns in the Divisional Round, so his availability against the Bills remains unclear.
The Chiefs would still have firepower in the backfield even if CEH must sit again, with Williams, Le’Veon Bell and Darwin Thompson all ready to go. Williams paced the Chiefs’ ground game last weekend with 78 yards rushing on 13 carries and 16 yards receiving on four catches.
Should the Bills decide to play deep again, the Chiefs must take advantage of the situation against a run defense that finished the season ranked 17th in the league (119.6 yards allowed per game).
MAXIMUM PROTECTION
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ availability depends on him clearing the league’s concussion protocol. And if Mahomes does suit up, the offensive line must step up and prevent any hits on the quarterback.
Protecting Mahomes is a priority for the Chiefs’ front five every week, but it takes on added importance Sunday. The last thing the Chiefs want to see is Mahomes absorbing a blow after he spent time in the concussion protocol.
In the event Mahomes isn’t cleared to play, the same approach applies to Chad Henne, who would start if Mahomes cannot.
Henne helped seal last weekend’s win over the Cleveland Browns with a clutch 13-yard scamper on third and 14, then threw the game-clinching 5-yard pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill with less than two minutes to go.
EYE ON ALLEN
The Bills quarterback can get it done through the air: Allen’s 4,544 passing yards were the fifth-most in the league during the 2020 regular season.
And Allen has stayed hot in the postseason, totaling 504 yards passing and three touchdowns in two games.
The Chiefs know what Allen can do with time in the pocket to find his primary receivers, but the defense must also account for his ability to extend plays.
Allen finished the regular season with 421 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 102 carries. He rushed eight times for 42 yards against the Chiefs in Week 6.
The 6-foot-5, 237-pound Allen is a load and absorbs contact well in the open field.
“He’s real physical when he’s running the ball, so he turns into a running back,” Mathieu said. “So our hands are full this week, if you talk about Josh Allen.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Chiefs’ keys vs. Bills: What Andy Reid & Co. need to do to reach the Super Bowl again."
