The road to a 3-peat was never going to be easy for the Chiefs, particularly when you have a dual-threat QB like Josh Allen leading the Bills. Apart from the 2021 playoff game when the Chiefs won by double-digits 38-24, their other two post-season wins could have gone either way. They won 42-36 in overtime in 2020 and 27-24 in the 2024 divisional playoff game. Chiefs HC Andy Reid understands this. And in the preparations leading to the AFC Championship game, they are trying to find answers to the questions the Bills might ask. He is a realist, and it reflects whenever he talks about the game.

On Wednesday, January 22, he carried the same fundamentalist approach. His demeanor was calm and poised when he praised their rivals and said, “They do a good job offensively on 3rd down, likewise on defense, but especially their 3rd down offenses. First of all, their offense is very good, just in general. So it’s not just third downs, but it’s a big challenge. You got the flexibility of the quarterback being able to throw and run. You’ve got good receivers. They’re powerful, strong offense.” Andy Reid hit the right notes there.

The Bills have just broken through defenses this year. They were the 2nd in the league with 4 40+ score games in 2024, behind only the Detroit Lions who had 6. Couple it with the powerful throwing arm of Josh Allen, who became the first QB in NFL history to score 3 passing and 3 rushing touchdowns in a game against Rams in the week 14 game. Andy Reid correctly pointed out that everything at the Buffalo franchise was interlinked. When their O-line is on a run, their defense also blitzes the rivals. Out of their 13 regular season wins, 7 came with a difference of 10 or more points. In the week 3 game, they trounced the Jaguars 47-10. In the wildcard playoffs, they defeated the Broncos 31-7. However, it comes with a downside too.

When their offense doesn’t score, the defense also falls apart. The Ravens showed it. In their regular season matchup in week 4, they defeated Josh Allen’s side 35-10. And in the divisional game, they came close to changing the eventual result on two occasions. First at 19-21 at the end of 3rd quarter and then at 25-27 when Mark Andrews dropped the 2-point conversion. Andy Reid knows the Bills are dangerous, but he may be dropping a decoy with his comments about the 3rd downs.

The Chiefs are above the Bills in 3rd down conversions in the 2024 regular season. With 111 of 229 attempts (48.5%), they were 2nd in the league. The Bills were 7th with 89 of 202 attempts (44.1%). It will come down to the players on the field in the conference round. With Patrick Mahomes having a healthy roster to support him, they will be a force to reckon.

Andy Reid shares injury updates ahead of the AFC Championship game

We know Andy Reid is a phenomenal coach. He just achieved his 300th NFL win last week over the Texans. But if there is one thing that he has really managed well this year, it’s the injury department. Ahead of their clash against the Bills, he lit up the room by announcing there were no injuries to the players. That’s the best thing anyone could hear.

The season started with bad news from all departments. Injured players everywhere. Isiah Pacheco and Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown to name a couple. But Andy Reid went and brought Juju Smith-Schuster to fill in the vacant spots. It paid off well. He also managed rookie Xavier Worthy well, who played 17 games (13 as a starter) and scored 6 receiving TDs from 638 receiving yards as well as 3 TDs from 104 rushing yards.

Though there have been concerns about Patrick Mahomes who limped when the regular season was about to end, Andy Reid is confident of having a fully healthy lineup. That’s an enormous threat to the Bills who aim for their first Super Bowl appearance under Josh Allen.