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Listen "Billieve: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship Preview"
Episode Synopsis
The Buffalo Bills (15-4) continue their quest for their first Super Bowl title Sunday evening when they travel to Arrowhead to tangle with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (16-2) in the AFC Championship.
To get you ready for the game, this week on the Billieve podcast, host John Boccacino breaks down the key matchups and players to watch as the Bills look to advance into the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.
I begin by examining how similar Josh Allen's career arc to date has been to that of Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who, entering the 1991 NBA playoffs, had yet to get past the Detroit Pistons in three previous attempts at advancing into the NBA Finals. Both Allen and Jordan were in their seventh seasons, and while they were both great regular-season performers, they had yet to put it all together in the postseason and get to the championship. In 1991, Jordan and the Bulls finally vanquished the Pistons en route to their first championship, much like how I believe this is the year Allen and the Bills finally defeat the Chiefs to get back to the Super Bowl.
Moving onto the game, I discuss why this feels like Allen is due for a vintage MVP performance vs. the Chiefs, especially on the heels of a less-than-stellar performance vs. Baltimore when Allen made some uncharacteristic mistakes and left some points on the field. Historically, Allen has a knack for taking something he struggled with the previous week and completely fixing the issue the next week, often leading to a dominant game. In the Bills' 30-21 win over the Chiefs in Week 11, offensive coordinator Joe Brady called a terrific game plan and put Allen in plenty of positions to succeed, and that should give Bills fans hope that, on Sunday, Brady will successfully go after Steve Spagnuolo and the KC defense.
I also explore the Chiefs' penchant for running a man defense (nearly 40 percent of snaps), which both sets Allen up for success on scrambles and also sets WR Khalil Shakir up to win his matchup in the slot against NCB Chamarri Conner. I also mention how James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, and Buffalo's gap scheme running game should be able to exploit any man looks against a KC defense that has allowed running backs to rush for over 100 yards five times since Week 13, and give credit to Buffalo's offensive line, which will once again be tasked with paving the way against a physical defensive front featuring Chris Jones and George Karlaftis.
Switching to when the Chiefs have the ball, I examined why the onus is on Greg Rousseau, Von Miller, and A.J. Epenesa to create pressure on Patrick Mahomes, and discuss why the Bills would be wise to once again deploy an "odd mirror" look on passing downs, where the pass rush forces Mahomes to go in the direction of a spying linebacker like Matt Milano. One of the reasons Mahomes has been successful in the postseason is the bond he's formed with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, who is one of the most clutch postseason tight ends in league history and skilled at improvising when a play breaks down. For the Bills to prevail, Terrel Bernard is going to have to stick to Kelce just like he did in Week 11, when Kelce was held to two catches for eight yards. I also explain why Rousseau or Epenesa should be able to win their matchups against starting LT Joe Thuney, why DT Ed Oliver should prevail against LG Mike Caliendo, and why rookie S Cole Bishop is going to have his hands full with speedy WRs like Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown.
I close with my score predictions as the Bills look to secure their fifth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
Get involved with our show on Twitter (@JohnBoccacino) and be sure to follow the Rumblings Network and Buffalo Rumblings on Twitter, too.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To get you ready for the game, this week on the Billieve podcast, host John Boccacino breaks down the key matchups and players to watch as the Bills look to advance into the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.
I begin by examining how similar Josh Allen's career arc to date has been to that of Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who, entering the 1991 NBA playoffs, had yet to get past the Detroit Pistons in three previous attempts at advancing into the NBA Finals. Both Allen and Jordan were in their seventh seasons, and while they were both great regular-season performers, they had yet to put it all together in the postseason and get to the championship. In 1991, Jordan and the Bulls finally vanquished the Pistons en route to their first championship, much like how I believe this is the year Allen and the Bills finally defeat the Chiefs to get back to the Super Bowl.
Moving onto the game, I discuss why this feels like Allen is due for a vintage MVP performance vs. the Chiefs, especially on the heels of a less-than-stellar performance vs. Baltimore when Allen made some uncharacteristic mistakes and left some points on the field. Historically, Allen has a knack for taking something he struggled with the previous week and completely fixing the issue the next week, often leading to a dominant game. In the Bills' 30-21 win over the Chiefs in Week 11, offensive coordinator Joe Brady called a terrific game plan and put Allen in plenty of positions to succeed, and that should give Bills fans hope that, on Sunday, Brady will successfully go after Steve Spagnuolo and the KC defense.
I also explore the Chiefs' penchant for running a man defense (nearly 40 percent of snaps), which both sets Allen up for success on scrambles and also sets WR Khalil Shakir up to win his matchup in the slot against NCB Chamarri Conner. I also mention how James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, and Buffalo's gap scheme running game should be able to exploit any man looks against a KC defense that has allowed running backs to rush for over 100 yards five times since Week 13, and give credit to Buffalo's offensive line, which will once again be tasked with paving the way against a physical defensive front featuring Chris Jones and George Karlaftis.
Switching to when the Chiefs have the ball, I examined why the onus is on Greg Rousseau, Von Miller, and A.J. Epenesa to create pressure on Patrick Mahomes, and discuss why the Bills would be wise to once again deploy an "odd mirror" look on passing downs, where the pass rush forces Mahomes to go in the direction of a spying linebacker like Matt Milano. One of the reasons Mahomes has been successful in the postseason is the bond he's formed with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, who is one of the most clutch postseason tight ends in league history and skilled at improvising when a play breaks down. For the Bills to prevail, Terrel Bernard is going to have to stick to Kelce just like he did in Week 11, when Kelce was held to two catches for eight yards. I also explain why Rousseau or Epenesa should be able to win their matchups against starting LT Joe Thuney, why DT Ed Oliver should prevail against LG Mike Caliendo, and why rookie S Cole Bishop is going to have his hands full with speedy WRs like Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown.
I close with my score predictions as the Bills look to secure their fifth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
Get involved with our show on Twitter (@JohnBoccacino) and be sure to follow the Rumblings Network and Buffalo Rumblings on Twitter, too.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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