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Buffalo Bills: Keys to victory against Chiefs in AFC Championship Game

By Kendall Mirsky

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 16: Tremaine Edmunds #49 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after deflecting a pass during the fourth quarter of an AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Bills Stadium on January 16, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 16: Tremaine Edmunds #49 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after deflecting a pass during the fourth quarter of an AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Bills Stadium on January 16, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes is pressured but still makes an off-balance throw in a 26-17 win over the Bills. Mahomes threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns.Jg 101920 Bills 7 /

Contain Patrick Mahomes

Containing Patrick Mahomes comes in all shapes and sizes because of the multiple ways that he can put stress on opposing defenses. In the first matchup of these two teams this season, Mahomes did as much damage to the Bills defense through the air as he did by keeping the chains moving with his own feet. Usually, this is not the area that defenses are most concerned about when playing Mahomes, but because of the Bills’ game plan in Week 6, the Chiefs were able to run the ball at will.

In Week 6. the Bills defense committed to not getting beat deep by the Chiefs superior passing attack, but by doing this it allowed the Chiefs room to run against the Buffalo front. This time around the Buffalo Bills will need to play Mahomes a little bit like how they played Jackson last week, by rushing the quarterback while maintaining rush gap discipline. Specifically, Jerry Hughes did a great job last week by not getting too wide on his edge rush pursuit, and it made Jackson a bit more indecisive in the pocket when trying to scramble.

Ideally, this segment of the game plan from last week can help reduce the number of times Mahomes affects the game with his legs in this AFC Championship game. In addition to the concussion Mahomes suffered last week, he showed obvious pain in the foot/ankle area. This should also make it a bit more difficult for him to affect the game with his legs.

Most importantly, the Bills defense will need to contain the Chiefs passing attack, and the two most concerning weapons Mahomes has in his arsenal are Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. The Bills defense primarily plays zone coverage so it is unlikely that the Buffalo Bills will have lockdown corner Tre’Davious White shadow either of these Chiefs receivers. However, the Bills will likely place most of their attention on Hill and Kelce while dropping back into these zone coverages.

If the Bills can manage to slow down Mahomes and this Chiefs offense even just a little bit, it will greatly increase the likelihood of success for Buffalo in this AFC Championship matchup.

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