Buffalo Rumblings
With the season (and legacies) on the line, the AFC Championship will mean more than a trip to New Orleans
A Super Bowl appearance in New Orleans looms on the horizon as the Buffalo Bills head into a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium for the third time in five years. It’s been a one-sided postseason rivalry in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs, and what once was an overachieving season of accomplishment for the Bills is now a do-or-die game to salvage the legacies of their head coach, quarterback, and opportunity to exercise the Missouri-sized demons that have tormented them for the last half decade.
Nuance and in-depth discussion goes out the window once the ball is kicked off (dynamically) on Sunday evening, and the narrative parade will start marching. So let’s evaluate the thematic backdrops for what will be a heart-rate-monitoring type of day for all of Western New York.
Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy made it known this week that he will have a little more juice in the tank going up against a Bills team that traded away the selection used on him, opting instead to draft fellow wide receiver Keon Coleman.
Coleman introduced himself to Buffalo in eccentric fashion back in the spring, yellow jacket and all. The Rookie’s positive energy made it easy for fans to latch onto after the sting that was the Stefon Diggs drama in the offseason.
Coleman had a successful rookie campaign during the regular season, coming second on the team in both yards (556) and touchdowns (4) despite missing four games due to a wrist injury. Worthy also came second in receiving yards for the Kansas City (638) but did lead the team in receiving touchdowns (6) on the year.
This narrative is included because of the implications it could have during Sunday’s game. Buffalo deciding to trade with Kansas City specifically just sets both teams up for a “gotcha” story if one of these wideouts has a big performance on such a massive stage.
The Bills traded the 28th pick for pick 33 and swapped a fourth-round selection for a third, but they also gave their biggest rival a weapon in Worthy who can be directly used to deny Buffalo its first Super Bowl run since 1993. Coleman and Worthy’s careers will forever be linked and it’s just another story line that could prick the Bills in the backside if the result goes awry.
So far Coleman has just two catches for 10 yards in two playoff games and Worthy was able to put up 61 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs lone postseason clash.
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