KC Chiefs: Five players to watch vs Bills in AFC Championship Game

Whoever is starting at running back

Clyde Edwards-Helaire wasn’t able to start in the divisional round, but he’s been practicing this week so hopefully, he’s able to play on Sunday. If he doesn’t, Darrel Williams proved he can do a nice job filling in, as he rushed for 78 yards against the Browns.

The Bills haven’t been great at stopping the run, as evidenced by the 150 yards they surrendered to the Ravens in the divisional round. Baltimore is definitely a better running team than that of the Chiefs, but in Week 6, Kansas City rushed for 245 yards against the Bills and Edwards-Helaire accounted for 161 of those yards (for what it’s worth, Williams had 26 yards and a touchdown).

If Edwards-Helaire is able to start, the Chiefs will likely use him in limited action, meaning both he and Williams are going to split reps. If it’s just Williams, he’s shown he can have a big day, and running the ball is going to be a big key to victory in this game.

Harrison Butker

Were it not for Chad Henne‘s heroic scramble on 3rd and long, the Chiefs might not have won the game this past Sunday and if that had been the case, a lot of Chiefs fans would have been pointing the finger at kicker Harrison Butker. It’s no secret that Butker struggled at the beginning of the season and those struggles reemerged at the worst possible time, as he whiffed on both an extra point as well as a chipshot field goal attempt.

What makes Butker so interesting though is that he hasn’t skipped a beat when it comes to long-distance field goals. He knocked through a 50-yarder on Sunday, but couldn’t connect on a 33-yard field goal early in the second half.

Anytime Butker trots onto the field to try and put the ball through the uprights is going to give Chiefs Kingdom anxiety. What if the game comes down to Butker having to make a field goal or an extra point? That’s a situation the Chiefs need to avoid because of how wishy-washy Butker has been this season.