Buffalo Bills: Early look at top storylines for AFC Championship Game
The Buffalo Bills will be playing in the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1994 and will be playing the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills advanced to this game after a 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night while the Chiefs earned their trip on Sunday after a 22-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Even though the game is still about a week away, there are some storylines that have already emerged for the AFC Championship Game.
Will Patrick Mahomes clear concussion protocol?
Without a question the most talked about storyline leading up to Sunday’s game will be the health of Patrick Mahomes and if he will be available to play. The Chiefs star quarterback suffered a concussion in the third quarter against the Browns and was placed in the concussion protocol.
After the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an update and said Mahomes was ‘doing great.’
Andy Reid on Patrick Mahomes after the game: "He's doing great right now, which is a real positive as we looked at this. He passed all the deals he needed to pass. So we'll see where it goes from here."
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 18, 2021
The story we'll be watching all week...
The Chiefs must now wait and see if Patrick Mahomes will be able to be cleared from concussion protocol. These types of injuries are different than others because he will need to go through a number of steps, including being cleared by an independent doctor, to be eligible to play against the Bills.
If Mahomes is not able to go, the Kansas City Chiefs will start Chad Henne in his place at quarterback. While Henne is a veteran quarterback, he is not on the same level as Mahomes who is one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
The Chiefs won’t have to give an update until Wednesday which will be their first practice of the week. They will release their first injury report and note Patrick Mahomes’ participation.