It’s Chiefs vs. Bills on Sunday: here are some players to watch in pivotal AFC game
Including the postseason, Patrick Mahomes has surpassed 60 rushing yards in a game twice during his career. It happened in the same season. Against the same team.
Last season, against the Buffalo Bills.
Mahomes has many tricks in his bag. Scrambling for big yards may be a surprising one. In the Chiefs’ regular-season loss to Buffalo at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Mahomes ran for 61 yards, including a 23-yard scramble. And then, in the Chiefs’ playoff victory against the Bills, Mahomes’ huge day included a 34-yard run and 69 rushing yards overall.
In both games, Mahomes out-gained Josh Allen in rushing yards. Allen is regarded as one of the NFL’s best running quarterbacks. His designed runs are part of the Bills’ playbook.
But Mahomes can hurt a team that way, too.
“You’ve just got to hold on and hope you can make some plays along the way,” Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said of Mahomes’ dual-threat capabilities. “But he’s going to make some plays — getting out of the pocket, running for first downs, making weird throws off-balance.”
Here are some players besides Mahomes and Allen who could factor into Sunday’s outcome:
Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton
Bolton’s speed and hard-hitting style will be needed to help contain Allen. It’s been a solid start for Bolton, the second-year linebacker from Missouri. He has a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss. The Chiefs might need Bolton’s most productive day as a pro to win this one.
Chiefs tackle Andrew Wylie
Wylie and the rest of the Chiefs’ O-line must contain a pass rush that boasts the second-lowest percentage of blitz calls in the NFL but is among the league leaders in sacks, with 16. Wylie and the Chiefs had a rough first half against the Raiders as Maxx Crosby recorded a pair of sacks. But the line’s play improved in the second half Monday night.
Bills defensive end Von Miller
Miller was the Bills’ big free-agent acqusition and he knows the Chiefs well from his decade with the Denver Broncos. In 18 career games against the Chiefs, Miller has 13 sacks (although just 1 1/2 of those were with Mahomes as the Chiefs’ starting QB). This season, Miller shares the Bills’ team lead with four. “He’s a special player,” Mahomes said. “A first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Bills wide receiver Gabriel Davis
In his first two NFL seasons, Davis racked up 70 total receptions and 13 touchdowns. In his first four playoff games, he had one touchdown grab. Then came the AFC Divisional Round game in Kansas City. The Chiefs’ miracle comeback and victory turned Davis into a sidebar. But what an amazing night. His 201 receiving yards included a playoff-record four touchdown grabs. Now Davis and Stefon Diggs will test the Chiefs’ young secondary.
This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 10:55 AM.