KC Chiefs: Running the ball is the key to victory vs Buffalo Bills

If the KC Chiefs can run the ball well on Sunday, they have a great chance of advancing to their second straight Super Bowl.

When the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 of the 2020 regular season, it wasn’t Patrick Mahomes and the explosive passing game that paved the way. Instead, it was the run game that helped lead the Chiefs to a 26-17 victory.

In that game, Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 161 yards on 26 carries and was the hero that week. The Bills finished the season in the middle of the pack as far as rushing yards allowed per game were concerned, but their defense is still vulnerable in that department for sure.

Buffalo allowed 150 rushing yards to the Ravens last week and while Baltimore is a much better running game than that of Kansas City, the Chiefs showed they could expose the Bills’ run D before. Who’s to say they won’t be able to do it again?

The KC Chiefs need the run game to take over in the AFC Championship Game against the Bills.

Even if Patrick Mahomes is cleared to play, the Chiefs still need to lean on their run game. Mahomes was healthy in that Week 6 victory and KC handed the ball off play after play, so hopefully, that can happen again on Sunday.

Edwards-Helaire didn’t play last week and Darrel Williams played well in his absence, so if CEH still isn’t able to go, it’ll be up to Williams to make a splash. Williams rushed for 78 yards in the divisional round victory over Cleveland, so we know he’s able to pop off big runs here and there.

These two teams are pretty similar when it comes to their run games and their run defenses and that’s that neither unit is impressive. The Chiefs’ run defense was taken advantage of against the Browns, as they surrendered 112 yards while, as I mentioned, the Bills gave up 150 yards to Baltimore’s rushing attack.

This is going to be a key to victory for both sides and the Chiefs know they can run on the Bills. Sure, a lot has changed since that Week 6 matchup, but the Bills’ run defense is still vulnerable and the Chiefs need to exploit it, whether Edwards-Helaire is able to play or it’s Williams taking the handoffs.

This will become even more important if Chad Henne is starting at quarterback for Kansas City because he’s obviously not the skilled passer that Mahomes is. As long as it’s working, the KC Chiefs need to run the ball all day long against Buffalo.