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It’s fitting that Patrick Mahomes is forecasting the weather as he reflected on the first official NFL career road playoff game Sunday in not-so-sweet Buffalo.
Just the thought of a trip to western New York in January might be an intimidation factor for many. But not for Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Not after they played last weekend in the coldest game ever at Arrowhead Stadium, when it was minus-4 degrees at kickoff, with a wind-chill factor of minus-27 degrees that registered as the third-coldest game in NFL history.
“It’s not minus-30 this week,” Mahomes said, speaking wind chill, when he met reporters during a midweek press conference.
The Chiefs and Buffalo Bills will resume what is a classic rivalry on Sunday night (6:30 p. m. ET) in the most productive matchup of the NFL Divisional Playoffs. This, a week after Buffalo’s first playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed by one day. as the domain recovered from a snow storm.
“I’m sure it’ll be like minus-3 or minus-4 and it’s going to be windy and cold,” Mahomes added. “It’s a great challenge. But I don’t know if it beats the cold that we played in this last week.”
No, with temperatures forecast to be below 20 degrees, the weather may not be the deal this time around. Thankfully, the plot revolves around Mahomes and Josh Allen, the star quarterbacks decided to take their groups to the AFC naming game amid the option of a more memorable drama.
The last time those groups met, in Week 14 at Arrowhead, the Chiefs looked like they were on the verge of a stunning comeback when a remarkable, impromptu pass through the box from Travis Kelce to Kadarius Toney resulted in a potential 49-yard, green light for the touchdown. Only the effort was scrapped because Toney was flagged offside, prompting the worst reaction we’ve ever seen from Mahomes, who went wild expressing his displeasure with the referee.
The last playoff game between the teams came in the departmental playoffs two years ago, when Mahomes led the Chiefs to a tying 49-yard basket in just thirteen seconds to force Array and then directed a 75-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown pass. to Travis Kelce. Talk about pain. The Bills were thirteen seconds away from their first AFC name game since Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith’s groups of the ’90s.
Now, with the final five games of the series played at Arrowhead, Buffalo has an excellent chance to get revenge on its home box at Highmark Stadium. And while the Chiefs haven’t had the prolific offensive consistency they’ve had in recent years (see NFL-high pass drops), the Bills have gained a lot of momentum over time with a six-game winning streak.
NFL PLAYOFF PICK: Will the Chiefs or Bills win in the departmental round masterpiece?
Maybe it’s a kind of poetic justice. For Mahomes to win his first playoff game on the road, he has to win in Buffalo, among other places.
“Even though I know it’s going to be hostile, there’s going to be other people talking trash and that kind of thing, I’m excited,” Mahomes said. “It’s one of the most productive environments in football. “
Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs have notably hosted the last five AFC Championship games, is also a pretty welcoming environment. Still, this playoff control away from home had to come to fruition on one of those days. Sure, the Chiefs have played in 3 Super Bowls at “neutral venue,” even though Mahomes seemed to recommend that the Super Bowl 55 loss in Tampa was really a road game against the Bucs, albeit with reduced capacity due to the pandemic.
In any event, Bills Mafia will be in full force on Sunday.
“I think it will be a different type of energy from their fan base,” envisioned Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones. “Especially for them. The Chiefs coming in. The last time we played them in the playoffs we beat them. So, it’s a lot of revenge going on there. A lot of tables going to be lit on fire, smashing of tables. Should be electric.”
The teams have split their six matchups since 2020 featuring Mahomes and Allen, with each of the past three games decided by six points or fewer. The Chiefs, though, won both of the playoff games.
One thing is for sure: they know others. And not just because Bills coach Sean McDermott once worked in Philadelphia in an entry-level position as Andy Reid’s administrative assistant. Familiarity comes more from competition.
“It turns out we’ve played a hundred times in the last five years,” Mahomes said. “It’s like doing the same things and doing other things. You need to do what you’re most productive at, but I still need to dumb down the defense a little bit.
“Same for them. On both sides. So at the end of the day, you replace things a little bit, pass out, and try to do the best you can. They know you, you know them. And look who wins this. . day. “
The revelation reported this week by USA TODAY’s IndyStar that police in Carmel, Indiana, suspected Jim Irsay had overdosed on drugs when they found him unconscious, bloodless and breathing abnormally in his home on Dec. 8 reminded me of a comment made by the Indianapolis Colts owner in late July while discussing the stalemate in contract negotiations with the running back Jonathan Taylor.
“If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one will miss us,” Irsay said in July. “The league goes on. We know. The NFL continues. It doesn’t matter who’s coming and who’s leaving, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it. “
The Colts said in a statement that Irsay, 64, is recovering from a “severe respiratory illness,” and GM Chris Ballard told reporters last week that the team owner’s condition is stabilized.
Still, the most recent incident involving a guy who recently told HBO’s “Real Sports” that he had participated in rehab systems at least 15 times to fight drug addiction raises questions about the Colts’ succession plan in Irsay.
She has three daughters, each of whom is vice president/owner. Of the three, Carlie Irsay-Gordon is the top involved in the day-to-day running of the team and played a leading role in partnering with chief operating officer Pete Ward in 2014. That year, Irsay was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 for violating the NFL’s non-public conduct policy, following his guilty plea to the CFA.
Is it imaginable that instead of imposing a fine or suspension, the NFL is pressuring Irsay to relinquish control of the franchise? Pay attention.
This also explains the fall of the Philadelphia Eagles after a 10-1 start: Haason Reddick. Or more specifically, how he used the first Edge Rusher after Matt Patricia took over calling duties from defensive coordinator Sean Desai.
Reddick, who had 16 sacks in 2022, has 11 sacks in Philadelphia’s first thirteen games this season. In the five games since Patricia took over, Reddick hasn’t controlled a sack. In 4 of those games, he didn’t even get a quarterback’s hit. What happened?
Similar to how the Arizona Cardinals tried to employ Reddick when he was lost as a non-factor early in his career, Patricia dropped the team’s best pass-rusher into coverage rather than playing to his strength. And that didn’t work, either, as Reddick had exactly zero pass breakups.
Amy Trask, the former Oakland Raiders CEO, raised some eyebrows in the Bay Area with a comment on her “What the Football” podcast with co-host Suzy Shuster. In previewing the divisional round, Trask said: “Four games. Eight quarterbacks. Seven terrific quarterbacks, and Brock Purdy.”
Trask’s former team moved to Las Vegas in 2020, but perhaps there’s still residual bad blood flowing between the 49ers and their old cross-the-Bay rival.
Out of the overshoot come the passer scores of the two quarterbacks who shined in their playoff debuts in last weekend’s wild-card round, Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Houston’s rookie C. J. StroudArray. Both got a power score of 157. 2. How did it happen?
They both completed 16-of-21 passes, with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Stroud threw for 274 yards; Love 272. There’s still some sort of deep mystery for deciphering the equation for a perfect passer rating of 158.3, but now we know what gets one to 157.2.
MORE: What Makes C. J. Stroud So Great?
The 4 competing in the departmental circular combined to win 10 games directly on the road. The Packers and Bucs won 3 on the road; the Chiefs and Texans are leading back-to-back streaks. Naturally, this fuels a rallying cry.
“I think road games are compatible with the mold and identity of this team: opposite the wall in another environment and relying only on others,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said as he made his way to Detroit’s raucous Ford Field.
“It suits me with who we are. “
This article made the impression in USA TODAY: Patrick Mahomes in Buffalo for his first playoff game on the road is perfect