KC Chiefs: Four things to watch vs the Bills in AFC Championship Game
The Kansas City Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead in the AFC Championship Game.
The No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs will square off against the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills for the right to go to Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs are hosting their third straight AFC Championship this Sunday, proving they have been the team to beat. They are coming off a hard-fought win against the Browns and looking to ride that momentum to the Super Bowl.
The Bills also had a hard-fought win last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Although the end score doesn’t show it, the Bills’ offense struggled for most of the game and it was won on the defensive side of the ball, but Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs still put up numbers as usual.
Chiefs fans are optimistic as KC won the last matchup easily in Week 6. However, that week the Bills were playing hurt and were affected by COVID issues so the Chiefs need to be ready for a completely different Bills team this Sunday.
Here are four things to watch for in the AFC Championship Game.
How healthy are the KC Chiefs?
The Chiefs have been plagued with the injury bug throughout the year. The defense is hoping to get their depth back for Sunday and as of writing this article, the concerns are Willie Gay, Bashaud Breeland, and Rashad Fenton as far as Sunday’s game is concerned.
Gay has not practiced this week and is likely to be out, which will continue to hinder the run defense and pass rush. The defensive backfield is also hoping that cornerbacks Fenton and Breeland are healthy for Sunday. The Bills have Diggs at wide receiver and a lack of depth at corner will make it difficult to slow him down.
On offense, the questions surround Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Le’Veon Bell, and Sammy Watkins. The Chiefs didn’t have Edwards-Helaire and Watkins last week so having them back would give the offense quite a boost. Both players have been participating in practice but have been limited, which signals hope for their return.
Edwards-Helaire had a big game against the Bills in Week 6 and Watkins played a major role last year in the Super Bowl run. If Edwards-Helaire is healthy, the Chiefs will be less concerned about Bell being out. Bell has not participated in practice this week and is likely out, but Darrel Williams proved last week that he can step up if Edwards-Helaire and Bell are out.
Regarding the quarterback position, Patrick Mahomes stayed in concussion protocol and has passed every step of the way, and was cleared to play. This is huge for the Chiefs as it opens the playbook and keeps the offense unpredictable with their prime weapon.