Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Bills face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday evening in an AFC Divisional Round matchup at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
The winner of Sunday's showdown will go to Baltimore next weekend to play the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium.
For that to be the Bills, here are my three keys to the game, plus notes and stats:
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1.) "Next Man Up" mentality
The Bills are very banged up, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Buffalo will be without cornerback Christian Bedford, safety Taylor Rapp, and linebacker Baylon Spector, who started last week in place of the injured Tyrel Dodson.
Dodson is back, but the team may be without starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard. He'll be a game-time decision with his ankle injury.
Offensively, wide receiver Gabe Davis won't play for a second-straight week.
Several back-ups will have to step up and play at a high level. The Chiefs will certainly know where those players are lined up on the field, and look to attack them.
Those players will need to be sharp both physically and mentally.
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2.) Offensive balance
The Chiefs have a very stingy defense, allowing only 17.3 points per-game, the second-fewest in the NFL. They're also fifth in the league in yards per-play allowed overall.
However, when it comes to stopping the run, their numbers aren't as impressive. They're 24th in the NFL, giving up 4.46 yards per-play on the ground.
The Bills offense is eighth in the league, gaining 4.32 yards per-play on the ground.
But, of course, the Bills also have Josh Allen. They won't want to take the ball out of his hands too often. So if the Bills can control the game with a steady ground attack, it will allow Allen to even be more proficient through the air.
The Chiefs will have to come up towards the line of scrimmage to account for the run, allowing a little more room in the passing game for Allen and his receivers.
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3.) Contain Rice and Kelce
It's no secret the Chiefs offense has not been its usual self this year. They're only 15th in the league, scoring 21.8 points per-game.
However, over the last half of the season or so, rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice has emerged as a solid go-to target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And even though he's been a bit inconsistent this year, tight end Travis Kelce is still a problem to deal with.
The Bills will have to want to take those options away from Mahomes and the Kansas City offense as much as possible, and force their other weapons to beat them.
NOTES AND STATS:
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