Why Bills vs Chiefs is about much more than just than the AFC's top seed
The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs are the best teams in the AFC. Any other team – promising or not, good or not – is at least one tier below. Naturally, every preview you read, hear, or watch will include a conversation at the conference's top seed. "13 seconds" is the latest painful […]
The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs are the best teams in the AFC. Any other team – promising or not, good or not – is at least one tier below. Naturally, every preview you read, hear, or watch will include a conversation at the conference's top seed.
"13 seconds" is the latest painful memory for Bills fans and for good reason. That Divisional Round game was a tough pill to swallow after Josh Allen's unit did just about everything well. The loss changed what overtime looks like in the playoffs and Mafia members will be forced to remember why any time a postseason game is close.
Patrick Mahomes finding his guy at the last moment of the game is not a sight easy to forget, even for those who try their best.
The Bills' front office wants such a memory in the rearview mirror. That's why they made huge investments this offseason. Specifically, that's why they brought in edge rusher Von Miller.
Buffalo went all in for Miller for one reason and one reason only. Next time, they wanted to be sure they could get to Mahomes in time. Not only that, they wanted to do so with four rushers and four rushers only.
After all, if there's one thing the NFL has taught us is that the blitz will turn the Chiefs' quarterback into an assassin. Never mind the talent you've got on defense. If you blitz the guy, he'll destroy you.
This is where I should bring up the trend you've heard about a million times by now. The Bills have blitzed opponents only 26 times this season. That's only 13.5% of their defensive snaps, which would be the second-lowest rate in the NFL.
It's a team built to beat the Chiefs. To not let them end their season once more.
And boy, are the Bills clicking on all cylinders. On offense and defense, they're just flattening opponents week after week. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are also leading the NFL in several categories but aren't as dominating yet as they figure out their new-look offense and tighten things up on defense.
This is the exact kind of spot you want the Bills to win. They've got the anti-Mahomes recipe going for them, they're apparently in a better spot than the Chiefs, and Josh Allen leads the MVP odds!
Win or lose, these two squads will likely get a rematch in January. But it doesn't seem to matter right about now.
It's just an October game but it feels like a game with much more meaning than that. This has a shot at being the culmination of everything the Bills have worked toward in 2022.
Featured image via JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE / USA TODAY NETWORK
