‘The team’s best cornerback, Christian Benford, remains in concussion protocol; perhaps its best linebacker, Matt Milano, is battling hamstring soreness; and its best safety, Taylor Rapp, has a hip injury. However, there was good news on Thursday as both Benford and Milano were on the field.’
BillsBeat - January 24, 2025
For second straight year, Bills' Hamlin named finalist for NFL Comeback Player of the Year
‘Well, maybe Hamlin will get recognized a year too late because he really didn’t comeback from anything this season. What he did, though, is win a starting job after being active for only five games in 2023, and as he heads into the AFC Championship Game Sunday, he has 101 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, a forced fumble, and a recovery in 16 games (all starts) counting the postseason.’
Bills OC Joe Brady among 5 finalists for NFL Assistant Coach of the Year: His competition
‘Not that the Bills and their fans need another reason in their desperation to win Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, but going to the Super Bowl would keep Brady away from any of these teams for another two weeks, and they may not decide to exercise patience if he’s truly a candidate. Teams want to get on with their preparations for next season, and waiting until mid-February is not ideal.’
Ravens TE Mark Andrews thanks Bills Mafia: There’s still a lot of light in this world
‘“I thank everyone who has shown me and our team genuine support these past several days. Despite the negativity, I’ve seen heartfelt love and encouragement, including from those who have generously donated to the Breakthrough T1D organization. Even when the moment seems darkest, perspective can reveal that there’s still a lot of light in this world. I’m now going to do my part to bounce back and contribute to it.”’
Milano, Benford trending up, Rapp appearing doubtful to play for Bills against Chiefs
‘Cornerback Christian Benford donned a red non-contact jersey as he continued to progress through the concussion protocol, which he entered due to a big hit delivered by a Ravens special teams player on the attempted onside kick attempt near the conclusion of this past weekend’s Divisional Round matchup. Benford participated during individual drills while in view of the media on Thursday and was marked limited for the second straight day.’
Bills hoping the ball bounces their way as Chiefs rivalry adds another historic chapter
‘The deafening noise, sea of red and overuse of the Tomahawk Chop swirl through the stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs are 57-14 at home with Patrick Mahomes as the starting quarterback, including 11-2 in the playoffs. It’s an imposing stadium for most teams. Not the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are responsible for three of those losses in Arrowhead. Only the AFC West rival Chargers and Raiders have won twice there since 2018, but no team has won in Kansas City than the Bills. The problem, though, is that all three of Buffalo’s wins are in the regular season. Mahomes’ Chiefs are 1-4 against the Bills in the regular season, but 3-0 in the playoffs, with two of those postseason wins coming at Arrowhead.’
Curtis Samuel finding a role in Bills offense after injury-filled first season in Buffalo
‘“People don’t understand that in football, sometimes formations take the quarterback certain places depending on what the defenses do,” Samuel told GNN Sports. “We can’t help that. All we have to do is do our job and maybe open up throwing windows for other players.”’
Friday's Kansas City Coverage
Why Chiefs’ Hollywood Brown isn’t concerned with no-catch game to start NFL playoffs (Kansas City Star)
Chiefs’ clean football (lately) vs. Bills thievery could decide AFC Championship Game (Kansas City Star)
Why this Chiefs Super Bowl hero (from last season) won’t be part of this year’s run (Kansas City Star)
‘Chiefs Fatigue’ has set in among NFL fans, leading to anger and conspiracy theories (Kansas City Star)
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce shares thoughts about AFC Championship Game matchup against Bills (Kansas City Star)
What the betting odds say about the KC Chiefs-Buffalo Bills AFC Championship Game matchup (Kansas City Star)
Travis Kelce (literally) gave the $12,000 shirt off his back to one of his NFL buddies (Kansas City Star)
Chiefs’ Joshua Williams spreads kindness and raises money with a love for pancakes | Opinion (Kansas City Star)
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, along with two other Chiefs, are up for iHeart Radio Award (Kansas City Star)
Gracie Hunt reveals the special gift Travis Kelce bought for Taylor Swift’s birthday (New York Post)
Brittany Mahomes gives first glimpse of her and Patrick’s baby girl, Golden (New York Post)
Chiefs may have one advantage over the Bills ahead of the AFC Championship, Andy Reid says (Fox News)
Patrick Mahomes Had Surprisingly Honest Comment About His Ugly Flop vs. Texans (SI)
One Stunning Stat About Patrick Mahomes’s Penalty Advantage in Playoffs Says It All (SI)
Chiefs’ Andy Reid Gave Heartfelt Endorsement of Steve Spagnuolo Amid HC Rumors (SI)
Michael Irvin Says Caitlin Clark, Taylor Swift Trying to Make Chiefs ‘America’s Team’ (SI)
Chiefs Pro Bowler ruled out for AFC Championship, Super Bowl (The Sporting News)
Chiefs vs. Bills AFC Championship: Patrick Mahomes listed on injury report (The Sporting News)
Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes record: How Bills QB has failed to beat Chiefs rival in NFL playoffs (The Sporting News)
Do NFL referees favor the Chiefs? Inside 7 penalty stats that debunk officiating bias narrative (The Sporting News)
Marty Schottenheimer coaching record: Revisiting Brian’s dad’s playoff letdowns with Chargers, Chiefs, Browns (The Sporting News)
Reliving ‘13-Second Game’ through fan videos, memories from Chiefs-Bills playoff thriller (KHSB-TV)
Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt to serve as drum honoree for AFC Championship vs. Bills (KHSB-TV)
Chiefs Kingdom welcomes back Navy veteran Generald Wilson to sing National Anthem (KHSB-TV)
Chiefs Kingdom Map | Fans share Chiefs fandom from across the globe (KHSB-TV)
Mahomes making sure young Chiefs appreciate magnitude of the moment (KCTV-TV)
How Chiefs, Bills injury reports look following second practices of AFC Championship week (KCTV-TV)
Chiefs turn to AFC Championship Game tradition, name Clark Hunt drum honoree (KCTV-TV)
Are the Chiefs the villain of the NFL officially? Fans, businesses react to latest criticism (KCTV-TV)
Lee’s Summit family continues to cheer on Chiefs with skeleton display (KCTV-TV)
Houston Mayor to honor Chiefs-Texans wager with Mayor Lucas… on one condition (KCTV-TV)
Is the Chiefs hatred really that bad? NFL Network personality says no (KDAF-TV)
Chiefs safety Justin Reid welcomes the birth of his first child (KDAF-TV)
Kansas City bars gearing up for AFC Championship crowds (KDAF-TV)
Big and Rich to perform halftime show at Arrowhead AFC Championship (KDAF-TV)
Chiefs-Bills rematch will look different with key players back in the lineup (KMBC-TV)
‘Put it all on the line’: Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes talks preparing for AFC showdown with the Bills (KMBC-TV)
Chiefs vs. Bills: Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and key players speak ahead of title game (KMBC-TV)
Chiefs vs Bills: Hear from Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones and coordinators (KMBC-TV)
The elusive three-peat: Why every Super Bowl repeat champion failed to win a third (KMBC-TV)
Report: Steve Spagnuolo continues to draw interest from Raiders for head coaching job (KMBC-TV)
Tracking ticket prices for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills AFC championship (KMBC-TV)
Mom, teens scammed out of $1,500 for Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship tickets (KMBC-TV)
Head Coach Andy Reid Named a Finalist for AP “Coach of the Year” (Chiefs.com)
AFC Championship Injury Report | Chiefs vs. Bills (Chiefs.com)
The Buffalo Bills Have a Kansas City Chiefs Problem. The Solution Weighs 1,909 Pounds.
‘Buffalo broke the huddle with at least six offensive linemen on the field, instead of the traditional five, more than any other team in the NFL this season. But they didn’t just do it more frequently than everyone else—they did it more effectively, too, gaining the most yards per play and scoring the most touchdowns.’
Chiefs are back in the AFC title game for a 7th straight season. Bills aim to dethrone them
‘“You always remember the feeling of not pulling through. That sticks with you for a while, and it really doesn’t leave,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said. “But again, I think every year you go through in this league, you learn more things about yourself, about your team, about the game of football. We’re just grateful and humbled to have another opportunity at it.”’
As the Chiefs chase a Super Bowl three-peat, the Bills aim to spoil the party in Kansas City
‘Key matchup – The Chiefs defensive front against Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who beat them both rushing and passing in a loss in Buffalo in November. Allen threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in that game while running 12 times for 55 yards and another score — a 26-yard TD run with 2:17 left that sealed the 30-21 victory for the Bills.’
KC Chiefs, Buffalo Bills Renew The AFC’s Best Playoff Rivalry Sunday
‘Since perennial MVP contenders Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen first met in 2020, the match has featured multi-tasking quarterbacks, head coaches who have risen to the head of their class, and fan bases that consider freezing temperatures just another excuse to go shirtless.’
Allen's teammates, past and present, reflect on the QB's leadership
‘The two-time All-Pro has approached being a franchise quarterback by making an effort to become more consistent and vocal as the team around him has evolved. He now heads to his second AFC Championship Game on Sunday (6:30 p.m. EST, CBS) with a chance to play in his first Super Bowl.’
Super Bowl-winning coach gives Bills' Josh Allen advice on beating Chiefs in NFL playoffs: 'Stay in your zone'
‘”The biggest thing is not to fight the temptation to try to think about what you’re doing in regards to the other quarterback,” Cowher told CBS Sports regarding Allen. “This is your team, stay in your zone.”‘
Buffalo Bills WR Amari Cooper isn't concerned about numbers, just wants to win Super Bowl
‘”I’m very satisfied,” Cooper said. “I’ve never been this far in the playoffs. Obviously, every receiver wants to have 10-20 catches a game, but that’s not always how the cookie crumbles and it’s not always the most beneficial thing for the team force-feeding one guy the ball just for the sake of that. Winning is obviously way more important and there’s many ways to win and we’re getting the job done.”‘