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11/16/24

MAHOMES .VS. ALLEN - CLASH OF THE TITANS


        Here we are again another pivotal game between two of the top quarterbacks of this generation.  Buffalo Bills Josh Allen and the three-time Super Bowl winning, Kansas City Chiefs Partick Mahomes.  We are gearing up for Sunday’s game between these two behemoths, which will be their seventh meeting overall, fifth time in the regular season.  Patrick Mahomes has had the edge in their seven games, winning four, though Josh Allen has been the winner three out of four times in their head-to-head regular season duels.  Mahomes was drafted 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, while Allen was taken by the Bills as the 7th pick of the first round in 2018.  Mahomes only played one game in his rookie year, mainly backing up a good veteran Alex Smith, but Allen started right off the bat for Buffalo as they found themselves transitioning away from Tyrod Taylor.

        Fast forward to today and now we are talking about two men that have a total of 8 Pro Bowls, 4 All Pro nods, 2 MVPs, 3 Championships, & 3 Super Bowl MVPs.  Today’s version of the prolific Manning .vs. Brady rivalry?  Maybe, though the Lamar Jackson & Mahomes games have also had the same hue to them.  We don’t just build these games up for nothing, it seems like every time we get to see one of these matchups between these three men it is truly something special.  In recent memory the most notable game that we all point to of the Bills, Chiefs chapter is that incredible Divisional Round playoff game where Mahomes and Allen went up and down the field scoring touchdown after touchdown.  The game went back and forth as if they were on a basketball court instead of on grass.  That was the game that had the NFL change the O.T rules so that each team got possession, that way if the first team with the ball scores a field goal, the second team also gets a chance to either tie or win when they control the ball.

        This season the Chiefs have honestly looked like the worst offensive team to have ever started a season with a 9-0 record, but are just as good on defense, if not better than they were last year.  The Chiefs have lost a lot of talent to start this year on offense.  Their top two options on the outside both went down to injuries plus running back Isiah Pacheco.  Though all this had certainly taken a toll on them, the Chiefs found new and old faces to relieve them upon bringing in Juju Smith-Schuster, DeAndre Hopkins and Kareem Hunt (Hunt & Smith-Schuster on second stint with KC).  Kansas City holds the 11th best scoring offense, putting up an average of 24 points a week (24.3 ppg).  The run game has been more of a struggle (21st-115.1 yds pg) than their passing offense (9th- 231.6 yds pg), while they’re currently ranked 10th in total yardage (346.7 yds pg).  Ever since the Chiefs obtained receiver DeAndre Hopkins prior to the trade deadline he has been a massive hit for Mahomes, especially on third downs as well as in the red zone.  Kareem Hunt coming back to the team that drafted him has also had a huge impact on their ability to churn more on the ground while providing a high level of toughness.  The champs will have Juju returning this week which will undoubtedly help with the rookie Xavier Worthy struggling to find his way in Andy Reid’s offense.

        Buffalo is sitting in second place in the AFC just two games behind the Chiefs and hopes to cut that to a one game lead after Sunday.  Josh Allen has been doing his best to get this team back into contention of an AFC Championship appearance for the second time in four years.  Kansas City has been a part of Championship weekend for five consecutive seasons, winning four of the last five.  If the Bills want to put an end to that trend, they must come out swinging with everything they’ve got at home in a game that has them favored (-2.5).  Buffalo is also a bit banged up themselves as they will be without two of Josh Allens favorite targets, tight end Dalton Kincaid and rookie wideout Keon Coleman.  Much like the Chiefs went out to get a top tier weapon for their quarterback, the Bills did the same, trading for ex-Cleveland Browns number one pass catcher Amari Cooper.  However, Cooper is currently listed as questionable for the game with a wrist injury.  Sean McDermott did say he is optimistic about Cooper and Amari said he envisions himself playing.  The Chiefs have been one of the weakest teams against tight ends this season, allowing more production to that position than any others so the Bills should get backup Dawson Knox involved early and often to turn KCs weakness into their own offensive strength.  Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady has this offense middling in most categories as they’re presently ranked 12th in pass offense (222.5 ypg), 15th in rushing (120.7 ypg) and 14th in overall yards (343.2 ypg).  Brady’s real ingeniousness is behind his quarterbacks play that has the Bills scoring at a premium this season, listed as the 3rd best offense (29 ppg) in the NFL.

        I’d be lying if I told you that I don’t think this one will be a closely contested game.  The last four times they’ve met, the margin of victory has been by six points or less, the Bills have won two of the last three, two in a row in the regular season.  In fact, Josh Allen has won the last three regular season duels against Mahomes, but KC has also never lost to Buffalo when it matters most, eliminating them from the playoffs three of the last four years.  The Chiefs have barley made it out of their last two games unscathed, allowing the banged-up Buccaneers to take them into overtime at Arrowhead in a Monday Night game.  They wound up winning the coin toss and never looked back (30-24) while their win last week provided a little luck in the form of a blocked kick as time ran out to keep Denver from beating them for a second consecutive time, dating back to last season (16-14).  They are 9-0 thus far, along with a 15-0 record including last year’s postseason and haven’t lost a single game since week 16 last year to the Las Vegas Raiders.  Buffalo on the other hand, has also been running hot themselves, winners of their last five straight.  They have won three of those by at least ten points while also beating two division opponents by three points (30-27 over Miami, 23-20 over NYJ).  To reiterate my previously aforementioned sentiments, I cannot stress enough what the importance is of this game for McDermott’s team.  They will more than likely need to retain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they want to take down the champs.  Even then they may not be safe as the Chiefs have seemingly turned into somewhat of a dynasty of the 2020’s.                      

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