Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach's ability to one-up Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane manifested in trip to Super Bowl 59
The Kansas City Chiefs are once again heading to the Super Bowl for their fifth trip in the last seven years after a 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. Most people will credit quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and it's warranted. His dropback success rate on Sunday was in the 99th percentile, with only four […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are once again heading to the Super Bowl for their fifth trip in the last seven years after a 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.
Most people will credit quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and it's warranted. His dropback success rate on Sunday was in the 99th percentile, with only four performances in the entire 2024 season having been better. It also happened to be the highest rate of his entire career, which says a lot.
Most people also credit defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, whose blitz calls had a huge impact on the game's outcome.
However, the game was won over the last few years during April.
Brett Veach getting one over on Brandon Beane resulted in a Super Bowl trip
It started back in 2017 when the Chiefs were scheduled to pick 27th overall. Chiefs general manager John Dorsey, with Brett Veach working in the same front office, struck a trade with the Buffalo Bills to move up to 10th to select Mahomes. Now, it worked out for both teams, as the Bills selected Tre'Davius White and had extra capital to move around for Josh Allen the next year. However, the Chiefs ran away with the trade, even with White making first-team All-Pro.
The next year, the Bills scored Allen as their franchise quarterback with a trade up to seventh overall. That in itself is a really good move by the Bills, but that doesn't matter nearly as much when you gifted the Chiefs Mahomes.
It doesn't stop there. In the 2022 NFL Draft, Veach made another massive move. He jumped the Bills for cornerback Trent McDuffie, who has made first-team All-Pro and won two Super Bowls with a chance at a third in his first three seasons. The Bills took Kaiir Elam out of Florida, who has yet to pan out. In fact, the Chiefs picked on Elam, getting him for three catches on three targets for 36 yards. More instances would have allowed the Chiefs to gash him even more, but Mahomes chose other options, including the controversial pass to Xavier Worthy.
Speaking of Worthy, he plays a major factor in this story. This past April, the Bills did the unthinkable once again. They traded down to allow the Chiefs to select Worthy at 28th overall. After another trade down themselves, the Bills selected Keon Coleman. One player had a great game, while the other was a non-factor.
| Xavier Worthy | Keon Coleman |
|---|---|
7 targets | 4 targets |
6 catches, 2 rushes | 1 catch |
85 receiving yards, 15 rushing yards | 12 yards |
1 touchdown | 0 touchdowns |
Worthy did what every Chiefs player does: show up when it matters and haunt the Bills. Worthy's success is less of a story than the stark difference between him and Coleman. If the Bills had taken Ladd McConkey and not had to continue giving Mack Hollins (who played well!) four targets in the biggest game of the year, we would have a different story.
The Chiefs select impact players where and when it matters most. The Bills enable the Chiefs to draft impact players, but they fail to draft them when their selection comes around.
Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy admits he’s playing for more than just a trip to the Super Bowl against the Bills in Sunday’s AFC title game
Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy admitted he has a chip on his shoulder against the Buffalo Bills.
WR Xavier Worthy proved just how far he’s come by making improbable play during Chiefs AFC Championship Game win over Bills
He’s been vital to their success.
