The KC Chiefs can exact revenge Sunday against Bills, but not if they skip these keys

Two AFC powers collide when the Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.

The game is a rematch of the Bills’ win in Week 5 and last year’s AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won to advance to Super Bowl LV.

Yes, these two teams know each other well.

Sunday marks the 52nd time, including the postseason, the Chiefs will play the Bills. Buffalo holds a 27-23-1 advantage, but the Chiefs have won five of the past seven games since Andy Reid arrived in Kansas City in 2013.

The Chiefs and Bills boast two of the NFL’s top offenses, each averaging more than 380 yards per game. The Chiefs also finished the regular season ranked fourth in scoring (28.2 points per game), while the Bills ranked third (28.4).

Both high-powered offenses were on full display in the opening round of the playoffs. The Bills secured a 47-17 win over the New England Patriots, while the Chiefs advanced with a 42-21 blowout of the Steelers.

From quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen leading their respective offenses to two strong defenses on the other side of the line of scrimmage, this game is unlikely to disappoint.

Here are four key areas to monitor as the Chiefs aim to return to the AFC Championship Game for a fourth straight season.

CONTAIN ALLEN

Allen has come into his own since entering the league as Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2018, finishing the 2021 campaign with 4,407 yards passing and 36 touchdowns with 15 interceptions.

He also continues to excel as a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 763 yards, which were the second-most on the Bills’ offense, and six touchdowns in 2021.

“He’s playing good football,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He’s done a nice job. I watched him when he was at Wyoming: He was a heck of a player there, well-coached, and then moves into the National Football League and every year he’s gotten better. What more can you ask from a quarterback than that, from a coaching standpoint?”

Allen went off against the Chiefs in Week 5, totaling 315 yards passing and three touchdowns for a 139.1 passer rating. He also gouged the Chiefs with his legs, rushing for 59 yards and a touchdown in the Bills’ 38-20 win.

To say Allen presents a formidable challenge is an understatement.

“He’s one of the elite quarterbacks in this league, and you’ve got to try to cancel out every phase,” Chiefs defensive end Melvin Ingram said. “You’ve got to play assignment football because when you’ve got a quarterback that can run, that can throw, that can do everything, you’ve just got to play assignment football and not try to do too much.”

Allen is hands down one of the NFL’s elite signal-callers, and he has a plethora of weapons, including wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley, at his disposal. But the Chiefs should be better prepared for him Sunday than they were in Week 5.

Ingram was still with the Steelers then. And defensive lineman Chris Jones and cornerback Charvarius Ward didn’t play that day because of injuries. Ingram and Jones provide what was missing for the Chiefs in Week 5, and that’s a pass rush: The Chiefs recorded a single quarterback hit, and no sacks, the first time around.

It’s a simple mission this time, really: Contain Allen.

PRESSURE THE DEFENSE

The Bills finished the regular season ranked first in total defense (272.8 yards allowed per game), pass defense (163 yards per game) and points allowed per game (17).

Slowing them down is no easy task, for sure, but if there’s an offense capable of picking apart any defense, it’s the Chiefs’. Mahomes has adjusted to how defenses, including the Bills’, played the Chiefs early this season: two deep safeties, a scheme designed to take away deep passes and force everything underneath.

And now, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ aerial attack is once again ranked among the league leaders.

No two games are alike, though, and the Chiefs are expecting the Bills to change things up for this matchup.

“We’ve played them so many times in the last couple years that you’ve got to kind of mix it up a little bit,” Reid said. ”And I’m sure they feel the same way.”

If the Bills choose keep their safeties back again, the Chiefs will have no issues throwing underneath and methodically marching down the field. Tyreek Hill can play the speed game or the possession game, and tight end Travis Kelce remains a nightmare matchup.

Said Mahomes: “I try to formulate a game plan for myself and what I expect them to do knowing that they’ll have adjustments and I’ll have to make adjustments on the fly during the game.”

The Chiefs must stick to what they do best, and that’s going after the Bills’ defense.

BALL SECURITY

There were multiple reasons the Chiefs lost to the Bills in Week 5, but it’s hard to ignore at least one of them. Actually, four of them — as in, four Chiefs turnovers.

Mahomes accounted for three of those giveaways — two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and a lost fumble. And receiver Byron Pringle lost a fumble on a return.

The Chiefs simply can’t be giving the ball away again vs. this opportunistic Bills defense, which totaled 30 takeaways in 2021.

“We have to go out there and play an assignment-sound football game,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “Just like I talk to the guys each and every week, it’s about executing and the attention to details, but being great at it.”

POCKET CLEANLINESS

Members of the Chiefs’ new-look offensive line have answered all the questions this season, and they’ve done an exceptional job over the past month against some of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, including T.J. Watt (twice), Maxx Crosby and Joey Bosa.

Buffalo, meanwhile, totaled 42 sacks in 2021 without a double-digit sack producer; defensive end Mario Addison led the team with seven quarterback takedowns. How did Buffalo get to 42? No fewer than 16 Bills recorded at least one sack.

Suffice to say the Chiefs’ O-line must stay alert for pass rushers from every angle on Sunday. That didn’t happen in Week 5, as the Bills recorded two sacks and eight quarterback hits on Mahomes.