An inside have a look at the Chiefs-Payments AFC Championship battle in Kansas Metropolis, Mo. on Sunday night time:
Marquee matchup
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce vs. Payments secondary
Payments beginning security Taylor Rapp, who needed to be carted off the sector final week with a hip damage, is out for the sport, which suggests rookie Cole Bishop beginning in his place.
Kelce shall be at the very least a few of Bishop’s accountability, which shall be one thing to look at.
Bishop struggled in move protection this season, permitting 18 completions on 25 targets and a 127.4 move ranking when focused.
Kelce, within the Chiefs’ three playoff wins over Buffalo, has 26 catches for 289 yards and 5 TDs.
He was, nonetheless, held in examine within the groups’ regular-season assembly, catching simply two passes for 8 yards.
The Payments usually performed bracket protection on Kelce with two defenders in that sport. Kelce may even see loads of security Damar Hamlin in addition to Buffalo cornerbacks.
“He’s going to go down as the greatest tight end to ever play the game,” Buffalo defensive coordinator Bobby Babich stated this previous week. “We’ve got to try to put a plan together as best we can to make sure that we at least keep him contained.”
Good luck with that.
Cann’s name
It’s Buffalo’s time.
The Payments have the extra full workforce, and so they appear to have discovered the right way to shut out video games, which has been a earlier situation for them within the postseason.
Josh Allen lastly overcomes Patrick Mahomes within the playoffs, and possibly the Payments lastly win a Tremendous Bowl in spite of everything these years.
Payments 30, Chiefs 28
4 downs
Particular remedy? There’s been a lot hand-wringing of late in regards to the referees’ kid-gloves dealing with of Patrick Mahomes in the case of throwing flags for roughing the passer and late hits.
The Texans have been penalized twice for hits towards Mahomes in final week’s divisional spherical sport that simply couldn’t have been referred to as. Each prolonged Chiefs scoring drives.
“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs,’’ stated Texans DE Will Anderson Jr., who was flagged for a really questionable roughing-the-passer penalty within the sport. Mahomes this week instructed reporters, “I don’t really feel that manner,’’ referring to particular remedy from the refereeing crew.
The numbers would counsel in another way.
For the reason that 2021 season, within the playoffs the Chiefs have been referred to as for 36 penalties to 66 for his or her opponents.
Of these, Kansas Metropolis’s opponents have been flagged for seven roughing-the-passer penalties to 1 for the Chiefs, and 11 move interference or defensive holding penalties to 2 for the Chiefs.
Within the 11 playoff video games in that span, the Chiefs have been referred to as for fewer penalties than their opponents 10 occasions.
Turnover watch: These two groups flip the ball over the least of any within the league, so one thing could have to offer on this sport.
The Payments haven’t misplaced the turnover battle in 21 consecutive video games.
Buffalo led the NFL in turnover margin this season by a landslide at plus-24, with Pittsburgh No. 2 at plus-16.
And, in response to CBS, there have been 280 turnovers dedicated within the NFL since Week 12, and the Chiefs don’t have a single a type of, going eight consecutive video games with out a turnover — the longest streak by any workforce within the Tremendous Bowl period, together with playoffs.
On third thought: The Payments protection has struggled getting opposing offenses off the sector.
The Ravens transformed 7 of 10 third downs final week, marking the second time this season Buffalo has allowed an opponent to transform at the very least 70 p.c of third-down makes an attempt.
The Rams went 11-for-15 on third down in a 44-42 win on Dec. 8.
The Payments protection struggled within the common season on third downs, permitting a 43.8 p.c conversion charge, fourth-worst within the league.
On the run: The Payments personal the higher dashing assault.
The Chiefs ranked twenty second within the NFL in dashing yards and twenty ninth in yards per try.
Their main rusher was Kareem Hunt, who had 728 yards and 7 TDs.
Isiah Pacheco, who had 310 dashing yards however missed 10 video games with a leg damage, is a wild card of types, as a result of if he’s wholesome he may be harmful.
The Payments ranked ninth in dashing yards, however first in dashing TDs with 32 because of James Cook dinner’s 16 to go along with his 1,009 dashing yards and Josh Allen’s 12.
Cook dinner has rushed for greater than 100 yards in three of the Payments’ previous six video games.
Ray Davis and Ty Johnson add key depth at working again, which the Chiefs don’t have.
The Payments final week rushed for 147 yards and three TDs on 36 carries towards the Ravens’ No. 1 ranked dashing protection.
