‘Kansas City’s rushing total was the highest the Bills have allowed this season. Only twice during the regular season did the Bills give up more than 200 yards rushing – they allowed 217 in a loss to Arizona in November – and their run defense has given up an average of 156.5 yards in their two playoff games. The Bills ranked 17th in the regular season against the run, allowing 119.6 yards per game.’
BillsBeat - January 22, 2021
X's and O's: Tyrann Mathieu is Kansas City X-factor against Josh Allen
‘“He brings a lot of energy and juice to their team,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “He does a great job disguising, playing multiple positions. He seems extremely smart. He’s a big factor in Spags’ defense and probably one of the top players in the league.”’
Brandon Beane named NFL Executive of the Year
‘Beane is the first Bills GM to win the honor from the Sporting News since Bill Polian in 1991. Polian also won it for the Bills in 1988.’
Bills' injury report: Cole Beasley returns to limited status for practice
‘Beasley was not on the injury report Wednesday. He had been on the practice report last week but did not have an injury designation leading into the AFC divisional round game against the Baltimore Ravens.’
How will Bills fare in AFC championship game against Chiefs?
‘The Bills have two challenges on defense: how the red-zone defense will limit the Chiefs’ mobile offense, and how its defense can limit Kansas City’s run game. The Bills will make this game competitive. Chiefs, 32-27.’
View from Vegas: Trends pointing toward Bills over Chiefs
‘Prediction: Bills over Chiefs by 4.’
Kansas City, here they come: Bills Mafia rolls into Chiefs country
‘They’ll encounter a different set of Covid-19 regulations than they faced for the two playoff games held in Orchard Park earlier this month. The Chiefs are letting in more than twice as many fans as the Bills were allowed at their home games, and the team isn’t requiring a pregame test for the virus. But the most notable change is sure to resonate with Bills fans: tailgating is allowed outside Arrowhead Stadium.’
Inside the Bills: How 2017 win in Kansas City set the franchise on the right path
‘”There was no negativity in that locker room or anything like that. We just felt like we had to go get a win. And looking back, I think that was the game that changed our season.”’
Milt's Memories: Championship game in Buffalo in 1991 was worth the wait
‘None of us could believe what we were seeing when the Bills’ no-huddle offense traveled 75 yards in nine plays – taking only 3 1/2 minutes after the opening kickoff – for a 7-0 lead. Nobody expected that coordinator Dave Adolph’s Raiders defense would be so unprepared for the rapid-fire attack that it needed a timeout after the Bills had reached the Raiders’ 20 in only five plays on gains of 12, 14, 15, five and nine yards.’
Mike Harrington: Sabres' Jason Pominville knows the feeling of Taron Johnson's big Bills moment
‘”But yeah, I can see them having the expectations skyrocket next year, especially if they’re able to make a couple more acquisitions. It could be awesome to have fans back. It should be a fun time to be a Bills fan.”‘
Nantz in 'awe' of Bills Mafia, expects team to be in upper echelon of AFC for a long time
‘“I’m in awe of them,” Nantz said. “I’m disappointed … that we didn’t have a game there this year. I’m sure that we will more than make up for it in the years ahead, because Buffalo is going to be a powerhouse with number 17 (quarterback Josh Allen) and Sean (coach McDermott) on the sideline. … This team is going to be a part of the story at the upper echelons of the AFC for a long time.”’
Josh Allen: Buffalo Bills aren't changing who they are when they meet Chiefs
‘“The pressure is that to win the game you’ve got to score more than them and that’s exactly what it is,” he said. “They do such a good job of moving the ball and scoring, and it could be two plays over the top or it could be a 15-play drive where Patrick is just finding his outlets and using their RPOs. Their sights are the same as ours, one team is going to win and one team is going to go home, so we have to do everything in our power to make sure we’re the team surviving.”’
Bills general manager Brandon Beane named NFL executive of the year
‘This was a team in almost nonstop disarray for 17 years before the tandem from Carolina took over the operation, and their handiwork has produced three playoff seasons in their four years on the job, topped by the 2020 team that ended Buffalo’s 25-year AFC East drought and has advanced to the title game for the first time in 27 years.’
Bills’ Josh Allen details lesson from loss to Chiefs in October, why Stefon Diggs is a problem
‘“(It came down to) Just not being as accurate with the ball as I should have been,” Allen said after the game. “Making the right reads, making the right throws, and we turned it on a little too late there, obviously. Sixteen, 17 points is not going to cut it in this league.”’
Bills’ Ken Dorsey named candidate for Lions offensive coordinator job
‘It’s no surprise that Dorsey finds himself in the mix for an offensive coordinator position. Dorsey played a role in developing quarterback Josh Allen into a legitimate MVP candidate this season. Had Brian Daboll left for a head coaching job, Dorsey was a popular in-house candidate for the job.’
1994 flashback: Buffalo Bills beat the Chiefs to reach 4th straight Super Bowl
‘While the Bills and their fans in Upstate New York hoped to make a fourth straight Super Bowl, much of the rest of the country hoped they would miss out on the big game.’
Bills have fan in Dunder Mifflin CFO David Wallace
‘Andy Buckley, also known as Dunder Mifflin CFO David Wallace from “The Office,” shared a video with the Bills Mafia on Thursday expressing his fandom of the Bills. Buckley, playing the role of Wallace in the video, also claims that he is doing everything in his power to reopen the Buffalo branch of Dunder Mifflin.’
Second chance: Allen, Bills looking for better results second time around vs Chiefs
‘“I think we’ve gotten a lot better since that game. You know, they can say the same thing, and it’s just two good teams that are going to go on out there and compete,” said Allen on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a four-quarter dogfight. We know that we understand that and we got to do everything in our power to put our best foot forward and not make dumb mistakes and put the ball where it needs to be.”’
Five former Buffalo Bills players have Erie County ties
‘Ed Abramoski does, even though he never played a down. The Erie native was the only athletic trainer Buffalo had over the franchise’s first 38 seasons.’
Simmons: Wide right never would have happened if Josh Allen was QB of the Buffalo Bills in 1991
‘Some people in Buffalo don’t want to hear that, not about how great and unstoppable Allen happens to be — they know that — but how ordinary the legendary Jim Kelly was in his four Super Bowl starts. In fairness to Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback who has come to symbolize the heart and soul of the city of Buffalo and its beloved football team, he was like the Bills themselves: He never had a great championship day.’
Allen, Diggs lead Bills attack into Kansas City for AFC Championship
‘This year’s Bills are much improved from the ones this generation of football fans have come to know. The Bills finished their season with a 13-3 record, tied for the most regular season wins in franchise history. It’s the first time they’ve reached the 13-win mark since they did it in back-to-back seasons in 1990 and 1991.’
Chiefs defense gets ready for Buffalo's Allen-Diggs duo
‘On Thursday, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talked about the threat Diggs presents. “Well, we’re hoping we can do what we can do … our guys will get up there and press as much as they can but listen, he finds ways to beat that,” Spagnuolo said. “He can force us into penalties. That hurt us the last time we played him, but we won’t change too much of what we do. We have to focus on certain calls that we have and certain situational football and we will do that.”’
From AFL to AFC: A look back on Chiefs, Bills playoff history
‘With the matchup happening in 1967, 1994 and now 2021, these two franchises battle it out for a berth in the Super Bowl every 27 years.’
Friday's Kansas City Coverage
Good sign: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at practice again Thursday (Kansas City Star)
Kansas City Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy affirms: ‘Obviously, yes, I want to be a head coach’ (Kansas City Star)
Allen, Diggs lead Bills attack into Kansas City for AFC Championship (Saint Joseph News Press)
A good reason for caution (Saint Joseph News Press)
Chiefs’ Mahomes Takes Most Of Snaps In Thursday Practice (AP)
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes practices again as he works through concussion protocol (ESPN)
NFL conference championship injuries: Patrick Mahomes increases practice workload on Thursday (CBS Sports)
Alex Smith on Eric Bieniemy: ‘I Think It’s Ridiculous He Hasn’t Been Hired’ (SI)
Why Patrick Mahomes won SN NFL Offensive Player of the Year over Derrick Henry, Aaron Rodgers (The Sporting News)
Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill says he shoved coach Greg Lewis ‘to give the guys energy’ (The Sporting News)
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes practiced again on Thursday (KSHB-TV)
Chiefs defense gets ready for Buffalo’s Allen-Diggs duo (KSHB-TV)
Kansas City showcasing ‘Chiefs fever’ ahead of AFC Championship (KSHB-TV)
“Almost Andy Reid” uses superfan platform to help Ronald McDonald House (KSHB-TV)
‘KC Hawgs’ aircraft to fly over Arrowhead at AFC Championship Game (KSHB-TV)
Mahomes continues to practice; Edwards-Helaire also works out with team (WDAF-TV)
Chiefs hope championship experience is on display vs Buffalo (WDAF-TV)
From AFL to AFC: A look back on Chiefs, Bills playoff history (WDAF-TV)
With limited capacity, Chiefs fans expected to pay much more for AFC Championship game (WDAF-TV)
Chiefs Kingdom ready to cheer on KC, even while balancing playoff thrills during pandemic (WDAF-TV)
Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV game tops list of 2020’s 100 most-viewed TV programs (WDAF-TV)
Lee’s Summit students get schooled by Andy Reid look-alike (WDAF-TV)
‘KC Hawgs’ A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to flyover Arrowhead for Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship game (WDAF-TV)
AFC Championship Injury Report | Chiefs vs. Bills (Chiefs.com)
Brian Daboll wins award as NFL’s top assistant coach
‘Daboll worked as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017, when the Crimson Tide won the CFP national championship, before joining the Bills the next season.’
Stefon Diggs wanted a new start. The Bills needed a spark. Now the NFL is on notice.
‘The proof is on film every week, even deep into the playoffs. No one in the NFL caught more balls for more yards than Diggs did during the regular season: 127 passes for 1,535 yards. No one has caught more balls for more yards in the playoffs: 14 for 234 more yards in Buffalo’s two victories. Last year, Buffalo ranked 24th in the NFL in total yards and 26th in passing yards. This year, the Bills were second and third, respectively. The improvement of third-year quarterback Josh Allen is a significant factor. But Diggs’s arrival changed what the Bills could do on offense.’
Bills' Diggs Among NFL Elite Receiving Company This Weekend
‘“I ain’t one of those people who’s going to lie,” Diggs said, dismissing a question of this being just another game. “For me, I know it’s a big game,” he added. “Come out and give it everything you’ve got.”’
Chiefs' Reid, Bills' McDermott To Match Wits For AFC Title
‘Ten years after firing Sean McDermott as his defensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid will stare across the field inside Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday and see his protégé trying to spoil his hopes of a Super Bowl repeat.’
Bills Head To Kansas City For First AFC Title Game Since '94
‘Allen is 2-1 in the postseason, and has yet to throw an interception in 118 attempts.’
Shades Of '88? Bruce Smith Sees Same Potential In 2020 Bills
‘“I think there was a realization that we were on the brink of becoming a damn good football team,” Smith said of the Bills who would go on to lose the AFC championship game to Cincinnati. Two years later, Buffalo began a run of making — and losing — four straight Super Bowl appearances.’
Hey, Bills Mafia -- some stores are selling tables in your fan section
‘Superfans of the team, dubbed “Bills Mafia” because of their antics before, during and after games, have been known for jumping through plastic folding tables for years. Some DICK’S Sporting Goods stores in upstate New York are stocking up with center folding tables in hopes that Bills fans have something to celebrate after Sunday’s playoff game against the Chiefs.’
Bold predictions for AFC, NFC title games: Josh Allen, Bills top reigning champs to advance to Super Bowl
‘Andy Reid’s squad is superior on paper, but this feels like the season where Sean McDermott finally and fully rises to the occasion.’
Bills vs. Chiefs picks, predictions against spread: Why Kansas City will advance to Super Bowl 55
‘Chiefs win 30-17 and cover the spread.’
Butler, Davis miss second straight day of practice
‘For the second straight day, neither Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabriel Davis (ankle) nor defensive tackle Vernon Butler (quad) participated in practice, as the team gets set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for the AFC Championship.’
Bills general manager Brandon Beane named Sporting News, PFWA Executive of the Year
‘In Beane’s fourth season as general manager, the team went 13-3 in the regular season and is playing in the AFC Championship Game this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. It will be Buffalo’s first appearance in the AFC title game in 27 years.’
Lessons Learned: Bills look to Week 6 loss to Chiefs ahead of rematch
‘”They showed a couple different things on defense, and stuff we weren’t expecting,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “We’ve gotten a lot better since that game, but they could probably say the same thing.”‘
Bills receive several awards including GM Brandon Beane as Sporting News Executive of the Year
‘In addition, Beane won the PFWA Executive of the Year for his role in building the Bills, which included an offseason trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings.’
Bills fans struggle to find Bills Jerseys, AFC East Championship shirts and more
‘Finley says his sells have soared 65%.’
Local businesses make Buffalo Bills treats for AFC championship
‘They’ve got snacks and coffee covered for your Bills watch party. With football-shaped macarons, ‘Make me wanna shout!’ cookies, and Bills lattes.’
Dunder Mifflin CFO rooting for the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship
‘Wallace (Buckley) made the announcement on Twitter Thursday, also saying he made a mistake a number of years ago when he shut down the Dunder Mifflin Buffalo Branch and he is doing what he can to reopen it.’