Chiefs’ clean football (lately) vs. Bills thievery could decide AFC Championship Game
To Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs started losing their regular-season contest to the Buffalo Bills on the game’s second snap.
Mahomes stepped up in the pocket and was hit but continued his passing motion. The ball sailed over the head of tight end Noah Gray and into the arms of Bills safety Taylor Rapp.
“It hurt the team with the momentum of the game,” Mahomes said. “(Gray) was open. I just had to set my feet and make the throw.”
The Chiefs’ last gasp in a 30-21 loss was another Mahomes pick, one for which he did not apologize. “I’m going to go down fighting,” he said.
But here’s the thing. Since that Nov. 17 game, Mahomes hasn’t thrown another interception. He’s played in seven games since then, including last week’s Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans, and has launched 262 passes without a pick, the longest such stretch of his career.
Because the Chiefs haven’t lost a fumble in that run, the run of games without a turnover stands at eight. Ball security is high on the list of why the Chiefs went 15-2 during the regular season, won a playoff game for the seventh straight year and are meeting the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
“There’s been an emphasis on finding the ball (on defense) and keeping it on offense,” safety Justin Reid said.
From a turnover standpoint, the Chiefs wrote a tale of two seasons: through Buffalo in Week 11, and afterward.
In the first 10 games, Mahomes tossed 12 interceptions and running back Carson Steele lost two fumbles. Since then, no giveaways, and the defense has logged 11 of the team’s 20 takeaways this year.
The Chiefs have been so opportunistic in the season’s second half that All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who didn’t have an interception in his first two years, recorded picks in back-to-back games.
“There been fine-tuning throughout the season,” Reid said.
Now comes the biggest challenge. The Bills have been exceptional in forcing mistakes, leading the NFL in turnover margin at plus-24, eight better than the next team.
They’re likely not in their first AFC title game since the 2020 season without a 3-0 advantage in turnovers in their 27-25 Divisional Round victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Terrel Bernard punching the ball from the grasp of tight end Mark Andrews and recovering the fumble led to what proved to be the winning margin.
The tactic didn’t go unnoticed by the Chiefs.
“They’re definitely a good team at causing turnovers and they look for running backs carrying the ball loose,” Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt said. “You’ve got to have two hands on contact and make sure you squeeze it.”
The Bills also excel in not giving it away. They’ve gone 21 games without losing the turnover battle, the longest streak in the NFL or AFL since 1960.
The Ravens entered the game with the third fewest turnovers in the league. Buffalo simply took it away.
“For me, I have to find a way to put us in the best position to succeed,” Mahomes said. “If that’s limiting turnovers, changing field position, whatever that is. You have to find a way.”