Bills have obvious Josh Allen decision to make vs. Chiefs
It's the Buffalo Bills vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs and you know what that means. The epic TV series starring Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen will get another chapter that's likely to have as much drama as Succession's finale itself. Every time two young quarterbacks with bright futures in the NFL seem […]
It's the Buffalo Bills vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs and you know what that means. The epic TV series starring Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen will get another chapter that's likely to have as much drama as Succession's finale itself.
Every time two young quarterbacks with bright futures in the NFL seem bound to play each other consistently, fans and media are quick to dub them the "next Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning rivalry."
Oftentimes, that seems like such an overblown comparison. After all, those two are arguably the two greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. They're Top 3 for most and at worst, they're both Top 5.
But when it's Mahomes-Allen getting compared to those legends, you know it's not hyperbole. These two have consistently been among the best in the entire league since they've arrived and are 3-3 against each other, including the playoffs.
The Bills quarterback has the edge on Mahomes at 3-1 in regular season games but has gone a heartbreaking 0-2 in the postseason against the Chiefs. He could break that zero very soon. But ironically, the best shot he's got at it likely involves a selfless performance.
Bills have to make Josh Allen take a backseat vs. Chiefs
Sunday's new episode of this Emmy-worthy drama will look different than previous editions. You see, both our protagonists haven't had the seasons we hoped for them as both their offenses have been less consistent and less explosive.
Sure, Mahomes and Allen still have the potential to make a jaw-dropping throw here and there but their supporting casts hasn't really allowed them to look the same as in previous years. That sets us up for a different-looking game as both squads are likely to want to make it a slower-paced football showdown.
In the Bills' case, specifically, this game needs to be one where offensive coordinator Joe Brady lets the run game take over before trying to win it through Allen. In Week 14, Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo had Allen frustrated with all sorts of exotic looks that led to negative EPA/play, CPOE, and success rates for Allen, per RBSDM.
It was a handful of passes to James Cook and Dawson Knox that felt like the exception to the rule but for the most part, Spags slowed down Allen significantly. The Bills quarterback finished the game with a 68.8 passer rating as he completed only 54.8% of his passes.
However, the Bills did a very decent job running the football as Cook averaged 5.6 yards per attempt in 10 carries. As we gear up for Sunday's game, it's clear that's the weakness Buffalo must seek to exploit. Just look at the pass/run defensive splits laid out below:
Each of the above stats shows the Chiefs are a Top 8 pass defense and the film backs it up, too. But against the run? They struggle. This is a "Let Cook cook" more than it is a "Let Allen cook" type of game.
Don't get me wrong, this is Mahomes-Allen VII. The quarterbacks will make huge plays. But for the most part, you want Brady to pound the rock calling his second playoff game as the Bills OC.
Dawson Knox had hilarious reaction to his touchdown celebrating in win over Steelers
He really went for it.
