3 Chiefs on Thin Ice Entering AFC Championship Game vs. Bills

3. Nazeeh Johnson - CB

Pointing out Nazeeh Johnson's flaws feels like a broken record at this point. Even still, his struggles in the secondary remain an issue that the Chiefs need to monitor. He played 50% of the defensive snaps on Saturday, the fourth-most at cornerback, though that's still too many based on what he's shown us this season.

Johnson graded as Kansas City's second-worst defender (50.2) at Pro Football Focus, ahead of only the aforementioned Bryan Cook. Overall, Johnson ranked 165th out of 223 qualified corners in the regular season. The 2022 seventh-round pick still had four tackles in the Divisional Round win, though he's more of a special teams ace than an effective defender at this stage.

The Bills' wide receivers are nothing to write home about but Josh Allen does a great job of attacking a secondary's weak spots. If Johnson is on the field this Sunday, Allen will look to torch him.

Since this was Jaylen Watson's first game back from injury, it stands to reason that his snaps will increase at Johnson's expense. Watson played only 59% of the snaps after averaging north of 95% prior to his injury, so it's fair to expect that Watson's playing time will spike.

If they don't and Johnson is forced to stay on the field, the Chiefs could have major problems. For the season, Johnson surrendered a 107.7 passer rating. He gave up three catches for 38 yards in coverage for a 118.8 passer rating against the Texans and we have enough evidence at this point to know that he's not the best option.

Johnson is still a talented player. He's just had a rough year though and it's time to leave him on the sidelines to chase another ring.

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