SaulGoodman

In case it weren't obvious, I'm a KC fan. I'm not here to troll anybody though. I honestly feel a little badly about the way some Bills fans have been treated at Chiefs Planet. But at the same time, it's just internet banter. Can't take it too seriously. Most of these people are guys you'd probably have fun drinking a beer with if everybody set their silly sports differences aside. One thing you have to understand about the KC fanbase is that half of it doesn't even like the other half. Those on the KS side of the border tend to be more refined, classier and easier to get along with. Some on the Missouri side can be abrasive and crude. The KU and Mizzou fanbases despise each other as much as any rivals from any sport, which makes it interesting when they come together at Chiefs games. But it's a rivalry that goes beyond sports. Kansans and Missourians have hated each other since William Quantrill's guerrillas burned down Lawrence (where I live) during the Civil War. I have no predictions for this game. I think both teams are too unpredictable to know how this will play out. I do think that both QBs will likely play well though. Allen's usually at his best against the Chiefs, and Mahomes has a different level of focus in the playoffs.

If anything, it's closer to the opposite. I hear almost nothing but positivity regarding the Bills and Allen, and often hyperbole. Even when they barely beat Easton Stick or the Patriots. Obviously Nick Wright is an exception, but that's mostly schtick. With KC, they're all saying "they've played badly all year, not what they used to be, offense sucks," etc. Meanwhile, they're 9th in total offense and have one of the best defenses in the league. The media also crushed KC during their slump in 2021. They were flat out labeled a bad team and predicted to miss the playoffs, before finishing with 12 wins. And then the media crushed Mahomes after the 2nd half collapse vs the Bengals in the playoffs. Outside of that, there's been a lot of positive media coverage for KC and Mahomes, yes. What would you expect?

I don't understand the narrative that KC is always super healthy in the playoffs. Mahomes played the entire playoffs last year on a high ankle sprain and they were down 4 of their top 5 WRs in the AFCC, plus some key defenders. In 2020, they went to the SB with a 3rd string OL.

Injuries won't be an excuse for the Chiefs. None of the players who are in danger of missing the game are major contributors. Toney and Moore were players who once had expectations, but both ***** the bed this season. Not having them might be addition by subtraction, although Toney is capable of electric plays if his head is screwed on right. I suppose Nnadi could help against the run, but overall he's a pretty mediocre player and probably the weakest starter on the team.

Disagree. Both are better pass blockers than OBJ or Wylie. That's not to say they're great. It's mostly saying that the previous tackles weren't that good. OBJ was highly overrated and Wylie was mediocre. Taylor's issue has been penalties, which is a concern. Not sure if you're aware, but the starting LT was out for several weeks until last week's game. His replacement struggled mightily at times, especially vs the Raiders.

I didn't say the offense is better. Obviously it hasn't been. But the defense is vastly better. The offense has scored 7 fewer ppg, but the defense has allowed 5 fewer ppg. When you factor in sitting starters in week 18, and passing up several scoring opportunities to take a knee, it's a similar differential. Multiple games ended with a kneel at the 1. Just a more defensive-oriented team than in years past. The difference offensively has mostly been mistakes; not talent. Tons of penalties, untimely TOs, and by far the most drops in the NFL. Will these problems rear their head again on Sunday? Maybe, but the offense has been a lot less mistake-prone the last few weeks. Partly because Toney and Moore haven't been available to screw up.

They've had their struggles with drops/penalties/turnovers at times, but this KC roster is better than last season's. The defense is much better than last year's or any defense in the Mahomes era, and the biggest difference in personnel on the offensive side is swapping Smith-Schuster for Rice, which is looking like a huge upgrade right now. Plus, Mahomes isn't playing with a high ankle sprain this time. None of this guarantees anything, but the narrative that the roster is weak isn't accurate.

KC was three flukey plays away from having the best record in the NFL. And are you saying the AFC East was a good division? The Patriots and Jets were the two worst teams in the AFC. Miami got destroyed every time they played a legit team and they were decimated by injuries down the stretch. Not exactly murderers row there.

Not saying the Bills shouldn't be confident, especially at home, but I wouldn't say that KC isn't very good. They have Reid, Mahomes, Kelce, Rice, Pacheco, a pretty good OL and an elite defense. That's nothing to sneeze at. They've had an absurd number of dropped passes and errors this year, but the main culprits either won't be on the field or won't get many targets (Toney, Moore, MVS). Since that Raiders debacle a month ago, they've simplified the offense and it's been more effective since.

That's one game. In half the matchups between KC and Buffalo, the Chiefs have scored 20 or less, and they've had the best offense in the league virtually every year until this season. Your example of a poor defensive year is a season in which they were #1 in the entire NFL statistically. That says it all right there. I realize they played a weak schedule that year, but it was still a pretty good defense. They just went up against a very good offense and a great QB (KC averaged 36 ppg the second half of that season, and that's what they scored in regulation in that game). I'm not sure how that game supports your argument of KC having better supporting casts anyway. They allowed the same number of points in regulation as the Bills that night, and had lesser numbers all year. In fact, that defense was statistically one of the worst ever for the first couple months of the season. They improved, but were still average.

And why are Bills fans so confident? Because Toney's foot was a few inches offside? A month ago, many of you expected to miss the playoffs.

Better surrounding cast? Allen's always had very good defenses. This is the first year Mahomes has had an above average defense. A few of them were flat bad. Mahomes had better offensive weapons around him his first few years, but that hasn't been the case the last two years.

I'm not a Bills fan, but I think people are being a little too emotional. It's hard to see them finishing with a losing record.

True. Wasn't trying to imply that they'll face an intense atmosphere by any stretch, because that's definitely not the case. Just pointing out that the Bills won't have HFA.

The Bills just lost to the Patriots and should've lost to the Giants. LAC is vastly better than either and it's on the road. Their defense hasn't been great, but Bosa/Mack/James could definitely be difference-makers in a close game.

Tampa - classic Bills run up the score game @ Cincy - Bills probably pull it out due to "revenge" factor Denver - possibly another Bills' run-up-the-score special, but I think it may be closer than expected Jets - likely a Bills win, but....there's also a chance that the Jets pressure Allen into numerous mistakes per usual @ Philly - L @ KC - L Dallas - close L @ LAC - L Patriots - Bills get off the schneid with a run-up-the-score special @ Miami - Dolphins feast on Buffalo's depleted defense this time and get revenge 9-8

No one lays down for the Chiefs. They’re every team’s Super Bowl. And while the AFC East looks to be stronger than the West this year, the Chargers and Raiders have both made the playoffs within the last two years, and the Chargers have one of the best rosters in the league.

KC’s had some luck, but they’ve also been very unlucky at times in the Mahomes era. The high ankle sprain, Mahomes’ toe injury in 2020, the depleted OL in SB 55, Mahomes missing the second half of the divisional vs the Browns and three games in 2019. The Dee Ford Offside call that denied them a SB appearance in 2018. And for as much as everyone talks about their fortune at the end of the AFCC and SB, they also had a lot of bad luck in both games. Two TDs taken off the board due to questionable calls, two turnovers negated, a very questionable catch upheld at a crucial moment, losing 4 of their top 5 WRs and their best corner vs the Bengals, etc. If KC were consistently lucky, they’d probably have at least one more title. It balances out over time. The important thing is consistently putting yourself in the mix.

It seemed to matter when they almost (should have) lost to Baltimore and Huntley, scoring 17 on offense in the process. 8 QB hits and 4 sacks. I think it’s fair to assume that the snow limited the pass rush in Buffalo.

I don’t understand the one weapon take. Only one really elite weapon, sure. Not many teams have multiple of those, if even one. Knox is one of the top TEs in the league and Davis is pretty good, especially on the big stage. He may have a few too many drops, but I think the good definitely outweighs the bad. Between those three, someone is nearly always open. McKenzie and Shakir aren’t bad either, especially as 4th and 5th options.

He's great because he's very accurate and has possibly the best weapons in the league.

But the entire purpose of this intervention was to make things "fair." If you're going to have a potential AFC title game at a neutral site, it would seem to be fair to have a potential Bills/Bengals game at a neutral site too.

A lot of KC fans are totally fine with the arrangement and some even celebrated it. The ones who don’t like it don’t like it because it goes against the rules. The stated rule is to use winning % in the event of a cancelled game. It’s the principal of the thing. They don’t like that it sets a precedent. Hosting the AFC Championship is a treasured event in KC, so of course they’d all like the opportunity to do so again. And if none of this had happened, I think there’s a good chance they would have been the 1 seed and been in position to do so. But it is what it is and it’s understandable.

Mahomes puts up the best numbers and the most highlights with receivers that are open half as much as Cincy’s and Buffalo’s, especially Cincinnati. Sure seems overrated.

Let's face it...many of you are determined to hate KC and their fans. You look for reasons. The vast majority of KC fan behavior is no more "toxic" than the Bills fans chanting "***** the Chiefs" at a game in Cincinnati. Most of what you consider toxic is schtick. It's people having fun. Maybe some don't appreciate their language or approach (I sometimes don't either), but it's no indication of the character of the fanbase. This was proven during the Hamlin incident. 99% of posts in the game thread at Chiefs Planet were purely concern for the player, offering thoughts and prayers, and declaring that his health was way more important than a game. Yes, a few days later, some people became irritated by rumors of re-structuring the entire season and postseason, using a random generator to remove one of KC's games, etc. As I'm sure you would if the situation were reversed. But I haven't seen many crass comments and no one is saying anything disrespectful in regard to Hamlin. I'll also say that, if there's a generalization to be made about Chiefs fans, it's that the obnoxious or trashy ones tend to be from the Missouri side of state line, while the Kansas side tends to be classier and more polite.