The Buffalo Bills will take on the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend in an effort to stop the juggernaut from once again representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. They have a great shot to do so, with one of the best offenses in the league led by QB Josh Allen. Perhaps their biggest strength this season has been their offensive line, which has allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL to this point. Granted, it also helps when you have a quarterback as mobile as Allen is, but nonetheless, they have played fantastic to this point. However, the Chiefs defense could be an issue for them this weekend.
According to Aaron Wilson, who covers the NFL for KPRC 2 in Houston, some advanced stats for the Chiefs defense really showed how they dominated the Texans last weekend in the Divisional Round.
If you just looked at their stats at face value, you would have never thought that they were this good. Kansas City ranked just 20th in the NFL in sacks this season, but managed to absolutely dismantle the Texans up front and cause Stroud to flee all day long. Now, to be fair, Houston does not have the offensive line that Buffalo does. However, take a look at the last part of what Wilson shared above, which is the key point here.
They got eight pressures from unblocked pass rushers, showing just how well the Chiefs schemed their plays to get guys rushing unabated to the quarterback. I think at this point, you have to almost throw out regular season stats when it comes to Kansas City. We see it year after year, they save all of their energy and best play calling for the playoffs, and what is the scariest part about that is that they still managed to go 15-2 this year.
I would expect that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have a unique set of defensive plays to try and counter what the Bills have been so good at. They are a very tough team to stop, as they are a balanced attack with the serious threat of the quarterback run, but we have seen them do it before. If you take any account of the Chiefs regular season play, they were ranked 8th against the run this season, and stopping Allen will be their top priority.
If they can make the Bills play one dimensional football by taking away the rushing attack, they can tee off on that great offensive line with some creative blitz packages. It is unlikely they have the same success as they had against the Texans, but the stats don’t lie, and they can certainly cause some real issues for Buffalo inside of Arrowhead.
There is a reason that Allen and the Bills are 0-3 against the Chiefs in the playoffs, and it isn’t just because of Patrick Mahomes. The defense has always stepped up to make plays, and they will be ready once again this weekend.
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