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For the third time in the last four seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills will meet in the playoffs. Kansas City has gone 2-0 against Buffalo in the most recent postseason meetings. As they look to make it 3-0 over the Bills, the Chiefs will be making their first trip to Buffalo in this recent stretch. Both quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, have continued to dominate the early headlines for this matchup, and rightfully so. However, each of the Kansas City and Buffalo offenses have found some new life late in this season. It is all due to their rushing attacks, to boot.
Most of the world got to see Isiah Pacheco take over for the Chiefs offense in necessary moments late last year. His work in the Super Bowl LVII victory kept the Philadelphia Eagles on their heels. Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills have found their guy in James Cook. While it took some struggles and issues with fumbling to grind into a starting role, Cook has been one of the most efficient running backs over the last two months.
How have the Chiefs and the Bills helped out their offenses with the threat of these rushing attacks? Plus, what will be the toughest challenges in possibly slowing them down on Sunday in the Divisional Round playoff game? Let’s kick it off.
Willing To Be Balanced
Both the Chiefs and the Bills have shown a greater willingness to buy into a more balanced approach. For Kansas City, this was absolutely crucial for a couple of reasons this season. Pacheco is simply one of their most dangerous weapons among this current offensive skill group. On top of that, issues like drops, poorly ran routes and a lack of success in certain opportunities have plagued certain wide receivers. Kansas City is able to control the game if they lean on the run game. And with how dominant the Chiefs defense has been, KC knows that they can stay ahead of teams and shorten the contest with an effective rushing attack.
As for the Bills, a need to evolve the offense was evident. After some struggles early in the season, Buffalo fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Replacing him was originally seen as no easy task. Yet, Joe Brady has brought a tremendous sense of fresh air as new Bills offensive coordinator. This includes his timing of certain play calls. For instance, Allen has always been a threat as a running quarterback. The times that they ask him to run are more structured and instinctive, though. Brady is also placing more confidence in Cook, due to the variance in run play calls. Buffalo is allowing him to get outside of the tackles, while still offering him chances to cutback against the grain on inside carries.
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Power Vs Speed
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When it comes to defending the rushing attacks of the Chiefs and the Bills, defenses have to contend with different elements. Much of the success with Pacheco is due to his powerful nature. Sure, he can surprise with his short area burst and contact balance. But with Cook, he can win almost any footrace in the open field. With the blazing speed of the Buffalo runner, he is able to eat up so many yards in an instant. Neither running back has been simple in bringing them down. However, there are different approaches to how each of Pacheco and Cook creates havoc against opposing defenses.
If there is any similarity between Pacheco and Cook, it is that they can immediately wear opponents down. For the Chiefs running back, he is able to find extra, hidden yards against contact while constantly falling forward. The Bills running back, on the other hand, can make defenders miss as good as anyone in the league. Simply laying a light hand on each guy is not going to be enough to bring them down. Whichever of Kansas City or Buffalo can fill run fits quicker will likely provide the most resistance.
Defending The Middle Of The Field
The Chiefs and the Bills have found themselves in less daunting downs and distances a lot more often, because of the success of their rushing attacks. Overall, their run games have helped them stay ahead of the chains and on schedule. As a result, defenses are left guessing, having to respect both the run and the pass, with the addition of play action being utilized in any moment.
Defending either offense is no easy task. In the end, defending the middle of the field is likely going to be the most vital item for either defensive unit. For the Chiefs, Kansas City must be able to disengage from blocks and flow to the football effectively. This group can sometimes be caught being late to fill gaps and run fits. Whether it is the speed of Cook or the determination of Allen, the Chiefs defense will want to work to invoke their physicality. That is something that has aided them all year long.
As for the Bills defense, the middle of their group has been stripped down to the studs. Linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips were already major run stoppers lost to injury before the playoffs. Then in the Wild Card win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo had linebackers Terrel Bernard and Baylon Spector get banged up. Can this Bills group find a way to clog run lanes with depth pieces? If not, Kansas City will not hesitate to ride the hot hand of the rushing attack in between the tackles.
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.