After winning the divisional game against the Ravens, Bills HC Sean McDermott is feeling the same he felt 4 years ago. The Bills were up against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game in January 2021, but lost 24-38. It is the second time in his 8-year stint they are back in the championship game. But this time, he is ready.

During the post-game conference after the divisional victory, McDermott warned their upcoming rivals. He said, “Looking forward to it. Great challenge, you know, again, another great team.” He followed it up with praise for the Chiefs’ head coach and added, “Certainly well coached! Coach Reid does a phenomenal job. He and his staff. Yeah, tough challenge.” For the fans, it will be a must-watch game as their matchups have more than just the toughest plays on-field.

Overall, the Bills have a 2-4 playoff record against the Chiefs. But since Sean McDermott and Josh Allen arrived at the Bills in 2018, the record is 0-3. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have not lost a playoff game. In the 2021 and 2023 seasons, they won the divisional game, but not without some tough moments. In the 2021 playoffs, the scoreline read 42-36, while it was 27-24 in the 2023 divisional game.

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However, in their only regular season game this year, the Bills defeated the Chiefs 30-21. So, the Bills mafia is going into next Sunday’s game with confidence. But beating the Chiefs at the Arrowhead will be no cakewalk. After getting defeated by the Bills, the Grim Reaper told Mr. January (Tony Romo’s nickname for Josh Allen), “We’ll do it again, baby.” This time is about planning their moves.

It worked well against the Ravens in the divisional game. The Ravens rode on Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. But the home team found a weak link and cruised through. With that in mind, McDermott had some lessons for his players to take home from the Ravens game.

Sean McDermott warns his team about Ravens TE mistakes

The errors by Mark Andrews cost the Ravens the divisional playoff game. While the Bill HC was happy with the victory, he emphasized on seeing the bigger picture and said, “They (players) take a lot of ownership of the plan and then again like it’s not just the O-line. Tight ends are involved and wide receivers are involved. So it’s a whole offense type of deal.” That’s where the Ravens faltered.

Their O-line was solid, with Lamar Jackson leading the way. The receivers were great with Derrick Henry coming in a valuable touchdown to close the lead by 19-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter. But Sean McDermott guided his defense to focus on Mark Andrews. The TE fumbled the ball in the 4th quarter, before failing to hold on to the ball with 1 minute 44 seconds remaining in the game. Otherwise, the scores would have become equal, with the game advancing in extra time.

It was the fundamentals that the Bills HC stressed multiple times at the post-game conference. Had the Ravens TE firmly collected the ball, the story could have been different. If the Bills want to avenge their 3 playoff losses, they need to play their best game on the coming Sunday.