Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs’ strategy at the end of the regular season — to rest their starters — has seemingly paid off to this point. For the second week in a row, the Chiefs will enter their postseason matchup at full health.
They are slated to face the Buffalo Bills for the fourth time in the postseason since the 2020 season in what figures to be an epic clash.
While the Chiefs are healthy, the Bills do have some injury questions entering the AFC Championship.
The Chiefs came out of the Divisonal round of the playoffs unscathed. They entered the game on 23 days rest, with some questioning whether they would be rusty or ready. It seems the decision to rest was the right one.
It’s expected that cornerback Jaylen Watson will be able to contribute even more than he did in the win over the Houston Texans. In his return from a fractured fibula and tibia last week, he was able to play in 58% of the team’s defensive snaps. Watson missed the final 11 weeks of the regular season due to the injury. The Chiefs’ secondary is clearly at its best when he is in the lineup, and he could see close to a full workload in the AFC Championship after practicing fully all week.
The only negative injury news for the Chiefs this week was wide receiver Mecole Hardman will not be available for the remainder of the postseason. He was not activated from the Reserve/Injured list. Hardman had effectively been replaced in the offensive lineup as well as on special teams, and his future with the club appears to be in question.
The Bills’ biggest injury questions come on the defensive side of the ball. Their secondary is banged up. Cornerbacks Taron Johnson (neck/shoulder) and Christian Benford (concussion) have been limited in practice this week. Safety Taylor Rapp (back/hip) has officially been ruled out for the game. Finally, linebacker Matt Milano (biceps/hamstring) has been limited this week as well.
Johnson and Milano have been deemed good to go, and they enter the game without an injury designation.
Rapp is a significant loss for the Bills’ defensive unit. In 16 games this season (including the postseason), he had 85 tackles, a forced fumble, and three interceptions (including one against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round). He will be replaced by rookie safety Cole Bishop — seemingly a matchup advantage for the Chiefs’ offense.
The other major question mark for the Bills is Benford, who remains in concussion protocol. He missed Friday’s practice due to personal reasons. He enters the game with a questionable designation. He could still pass the NFL’s concussion protocol this weekend in time for the AFC Championship.
If Benford cannot pass through the final phase of concussion protocol, the Bills will be missing two starters from their defensive secondary. This would be a huge blow, as they face a fully healthy Patrick Mahomes-led offense.
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