In just a few hours, we’ll witness another encounter between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, their ninth, to be specific. Their track record? Well, when it comes to the regular season, Allen certainly has an upper hand with 4-1. But, we’re talking about the AFC Championship game today, aren’t we? Turns out, Mahomes and his crew are dominating the Bills by 3-0 in the playoffs.

Now, that’s a huge red flag for the Buffalo team. Allen and the Bills just haven’t been able to stop Mahomes since 2020. But it looks like their defensive end might have a plan to finally shut him down this time. Ahead of one of the most anticipated showdowns today, Gregory Rousseau, appeared on talkSPORT End Zone. And when asked, “How hard is it to gameplan and face Patrick Mahomes,” Rousseau came up with a well-prepared answer. What did he say? Let’s find out.

“It’s tough for sure,” he responded. “You know, you got to just take it one play at a time. You know, just start off with stopping the run, force it them into some second-and-long, third-and-long situations, and then go from there and guys going to step up and make plays all over the field.” Honestly, that’s what the Bills need to do if they want to secure a Super Bowl spot. The reason?

The reason’s pretty simple – the Chiefs‘ O-line, powered by the unstoppable combo of Mahomes and Kelce, is a force not to be reckoned with. Even with some serious injuries on the O-line, they’re still running the show. That’s why the Bills’ defense is all about shutting down Mahomes’ game from the get-go. Because, if the Chiefs get their run game going, it’ll just set up Mahomes to start lighting up the passing game and get into his groove

Speaking of Kelce? We all know that Mahomes is doing his thing. But Kelce? He’s entering the gridiron after setting an NFL playoff record in the last divisional round. Yeah, you read that right. Kelce just recorded his ninth career postseason 100-yard performance. That works as a catalyst for the Bills’ defense if we’re being honest.

The bottom line? The Bills have just one goal when it comes to Mahomes: stop the run and force the Chiefs into second-and-long and third-and-long situations. But here’s the catch – to pull it off, they need a rock-solid defense. And right now, those dark clouds are starting to roll in.

Bills’ gameplan for Patrick Mahomes with a tense defense

Talk about the Super Bowl track record of the Bills and you’ll find it more disappointing than Lamar Jackson’s postseason record. They’re the only team in the league to appear in the Super Bowl four consecutive times and lose all of them. Now, as they’re just one step away from the Super Bowl spot, the injuries are giving them a side-eye, especially to their defense.

Yeah, that’s true. Coach Sean McDermott just dropped the news – safety Tyler Rapp’s out for today with a hip injury that he sustained in last week’s divisional round against the Ravens. That’s a major blow to their defense – or should we say, a major blow to Rapp? Because it’s the second straight season he’s gonna miss a playoff game due to injury. But hold up, there’s much more to the Bills defense.

Besides Rapp, linebacker Matt Milano (hamstring), cornerback Christian Benford (concussion), and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (neck/shoulder) are giving a pretty serious cause for concern, leaving the Bills’ championship hopes hanging by a thread. Milano has been limited in the practice session due to the hamstring injury that he acquired against the Ravens last week.

Meanwhile, veteran cornerback Christian Benford got thrown into concussion protocol after taking a hit during an onside kick late in the divisional round. And Johnson? He messed up his left shoulder in that same game. Sure, the Bills snagged the divisional win, but man, did it come with a hefty price tag.

However, the silver line is that all these players are not ruled out of the game. Sure, Milano has been limited in consecutive practice sessions but Johnson and Benford participated in the practice sessions. With the way things are shaping up, the Bills’ defense looks fired up and ready to go toe-to-toe with Mahomes and the Chiefs.