Buffalo Bills: Top 3 takeaways from AFC Championship loss to Kansas City Chiefs

Offensive and defensive line

Buffalo and ‘great offensive lines’ were not spoken in the same breath this season. The reason being is because they were good, not great. With a plug-and-play system, the Buffalo Bills endured all season due to injuries, the offensive unit was never truly at 100%. Though they put together some phenomenal games down the stretch when everyone but Cody Ford was healthy, the biggest game highlighted their biggest flaw; blocking.

Everyone saw it. Fans, experts, and even players, as Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphrey noticed, that the Bills offensive line was struggling against the Kansas City front. The lack of time in the pocket propelled Josh Allen into ‘Hero Mode’ which we saw against the Houston Texans last year.

Flashbacks of fumbles, horrible sacks, and forced balls slowly crept back into Allen’s game and made it tough for Buffalo to get momentum on offense. Due to the constant pressure Allen was feeling, he seemed to never feel comfortable. Now that could have been from the immense pressure he was feeling from Frank Clark and the Chiefs, but it also could have been the noise Buffalo had to deal with. With this being the first game Buffalo had played on the road with fans of the opposition, communication along the line looked challenging.

On the defensive line, Buffalo was unable to get any pressure on Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

With Mahomes not being 100% after it was known that he was dealing with turf toe, allowing him to slip tackles and extend plays was truly the dagger that the Bills self-inflicted at multiple points in the game. Though, that would not have happened if Buffalo jammed Travis Kelce at the line. Since they did not, Kelce was able to launch off the line, get set at the top of his route allowed Kansas City to effortlessly march down the field and score at will.