Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Bills Wire for the AFC title game
The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to face the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game. These teams have played each other during Week 6 of the regular season this year. The last time they faced off in the playoffs was during the 1993-94 AFC Championship Game.
To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Nick Wojton over at Bills Wire and asked him a few questions.
Chiefs Wire: What do you think is the biggest difference between this Bills team and the one the Chiefs faced back in Week 6?
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Nick Wojton: I'd say health. In Round 1, LB Tremaine Edmunds was playing with a shoulder issue which caused him to struggle in the first half of the year. LB Matt Milano didn't play, either. He'll be the No. 1 guy trying to shut down Travis Kelce. Like Edmunds, who played through injury, so did No. 1 cornerback Tre'Davious White and QB Josh Allen, who had a non-throwing shoulder issue at the time.
Chiefs Wire: I know that Josh Allen is ‘the guy’ in Buffalo, but do Bills fans ever consider what might be different had the team selected Patrick Mahomes back in the 2017 NFL Draft? Do you feel like the trade worked out for both sides?
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Nick Wojton: If we were talking 1 year ago? Certainly, the Chiefs won this trade. But in the end, it appears to have worked out for everyone involved. The Bills landed an All-Pro corner in White directly in the trade and then the future ammo for the 2018 draft via the Chiefs helped the Bills land both Edmunds and Allen. In terms of fans ever considering this? It's always been like a taboo in Buffalo to ask this 'what if' question... even before Allen's breakout season. But I don't beat around the bush, up until this September, I was certainly wondering what could have been.
Chiefs Wire: The Bills threw the ball often against the Ravens in the divisional round, and often actually might be an understatement. Do you anticipate any change in offensive strategy being that the secondary is the strength of the Kansas City defense?
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Nick Wojton: Considering that right there, I do expect a change. That's not to say we're going to see a massive approach to running the ball, though. The Bills only let their rushing attack lead the way in one game this year and that was against the Patriots and it 100% had to do with the weather that day. Do I expect the Bills to pass the ball 20-straight times again? No way. But it'll be a healthy load of Allen. Saying that, also expect him to be used as a rusher.
Chiefs Wire: What do you think the Bills’ biggest weakness is heading into the AFC title game?
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Nick Wojton: The rushing attack, certainly. That's not a knock on Devin Singletary alone, because the Bills' offensive line aren't very good run blockers, either. This offense isn't a well-rounded unit. It's Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs' show, and for good reason, but they're not well-rounded.
Chiefs Wire: What’s your prediction for this game? In Week 6, you picked Kansas City. How confident are you in the Bills getting a win this time around?
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Nick Wojton: I'm going with the Chiefs again in this one and I'm expecting much more of a shootout. I'll go 34-31 Kansas City. The biggest thing to me is that the Chiefs are a more complete team both on offense and defense. The Bills' run defense should have a much better game, but I might place a prop bet on Travis Kelce having another multi-touchdown game.
