Buffalo Bills Versus Kansas City Chiefs: AFC Championship Game Preview and Prediction
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Time: 6:40pm ET/5:40pm CST
Network: CBS
The stage is now set for the 2021 AFC Championship Game. We have a familiar face in the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Buffalo Bills. 2021 will be the third consecutive time that the Chiefs will be playing in the AFC Championship Game. The Bills have not seen this stage since the 1993 season, which was also the last time the team made an appearance in the Super Bowl.
Buffalo will have the opportunity to get back into the big game when they take on the Chiefs this Sunday. Based on how the Chiefs have performed lately, the Bills have a significant shot of knocking off the defending Super Bowl champions.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has not been performing up to his standards lately, and it showed last week versus the Cleveland Browns. Last week’s playoff game versus Cleveland also showed that Mahomes is not healthy at the moment. According to reports, the All-Pro quarterback has been battling a toe injury evident in last Sunday’s game versus Cleveland.
Mahomes suffered another injury when Cleveland’s Mack Brown hit him in last week’s divisional-round matchup. When he recovered from the hit, he was a bit hobbled and was helped off the field by his teammates. It was later reported that Mahomes suffered a concussion after being hit by the Browns’ Mack Wilson.
Despite losing him for the remainder of the game, Kansas City was able to defeat Cleveland 22-17. The Chiefs could have easily lost the divisional round matchup versus the Browns. Still, the dynamic play-calling of Head Coach Andy Reid and Offensive Coordinator Eric Bienemy would not allow that to happen. Mahomes has cleared concussion protocol and will be ready to go when the Chiefs take on the Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
The Bills Need to Force the Chiefs Into Making Field Goals and Not Touchdowns Inside the Red Zone
For whatever reason, the Kansas City Chiefs are not as explosive when they are within red zone territory. The Bills have a stout secondary led by star cornerback Tre’Davious White. But even if Kansas City can move the football up and down the field on the Bills’ defense, it would be recognized as an advantage if they can force Kansas City into field goal attempts. However, when Buffalo gets the ball back on offense, they need to score touchdowns because no lead is safe when facing the Chiefs.
Final Prediction
Despite everything going on with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, we believe that they will overcome those hurdles and defeat the Buffalo Bills. The victory will not be easy because the Bills is the number one ranked team in the league when playing defense inside the red zone. An 80 percent Patrick Mahomes should be efficient enough to lead the Chiefs to victory over the Bills in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. However, you can expect Buffalo to be dialed in for the entirety of this football game. But they are too reliant on the arm of Josh Allen to advance past Kansas City.
Final Score: Bills 24-Chiefs 27
Photo courtesy of Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
