Five Chiefs Takeaways From The Divisional Round
Never again will we witness such a fantastic display of football as we saw in every divisional round game this past weekend. The best game of the weekend and the postseason, no doubt, was the Chiefs and Buffalo game. Over 25 points scored in the final two minutes, and overtime is an insane stat. Patrick Mahomes proved he is the king of the AFC yet again.
With a 42-36 win, the Chiefs will do something never seen before, host a fourth straight AFC title game. That being said, there is a lot of takeaways here; let’s get into it:
The Legend Of Patrick Mahomes
The divisional game against the Bills, I think, is the final confirmation that Mahomes is a playoff legend. Mahomes finished with 370 passing yards, two touchdowns, 69 rushing yards, and a touchdown. The best play of the night came on the game-winning touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, which was an absolute dime. Before then, Mahomes looked elite when he threw two passes in a row that set up the Chiefs to kick the game-tying field goal.
Mahomes had a quiet game compared to the Wild Card round until essentially the final two minutes of the game. However, Mahomes and company kicked it in gear and won. It is performances like this that set Mahomes aside from other playoff performers. With the AFC title game up next, Mahomes looks to defend his AFC crown against Joe Burrow and the red-hot Bengals.
Patrick Mahomes RB1?
I mentioned this in the first takeaway, but Mahomes finished with 69 yards rushing. Granted, he had to run due to the offensive line breaking down, but he produced well. His best run play happened on their first drive of the game. Mahomes scrambled for eight yards and dove for the pylon in full superman mode. Again, these are plays that set you apart as a premier playoff performer.
The eight-yard touchdown run was set up by a pretty easy 34-yard scamper up the middle of the field as well. While I am sure most of Chiefs Kingdom gets nervous when Mahomes runs, he showed he could make something out of it on tonight. This kind of rushing performance, I doubt, happens again, but it should be appreciated while it can. Patrick Mahomes for running back one?
Tyreek Hill Is Clutch
After a “quiet” Wild Card round, Tyreek Hill turned it up a notch, finishing with 11 catches for 150 yards. His best play was the 64-yard touchdown to give the Chiefs the lead late in the game with about a minute left. This is the kind of game that Hill can do any day of the week. Hill also put together an impressive 45-yard punt return early in the fourth quarter, leading to a Chiefs field goal.
Hill presents a unique threat on the field that he can torch any secondary for 150 yards. This season, he has gone through phases of having quiet games and then exploding again. Tonight was a case of Hill lighting up a secondary with his inhumane speed. Get Hill the ball against the Bengals, and I would bet he repeats this performance or gets close to it.
Never Doubt Butker
Harrison Butker entered today’s game having kicked zero field goals the week before, but that is because KC didn’t need field goals to score. Against the Bills, Butker came up short on an extra point and a 50-yard field goal leaving an essential set of points off the board. However, when Butkers’s name was called again on a 39-yard field goal late in the third quarter, he connected.
Butker is easily one of the best kickers in the NFL, and he showed it with the game-tying field goal as time expired. Chiefs fans should never doubt Butker for as long as he is kicking for the Chiefs. Did he leave some points off the board? Absolutely, but he turned it around and finished the game strong. Give some credit to Butker for clutching up and hitting that field goal to send it to overtime. Without that play, the Chiefs season ends, so appreciate Butker, everyone.
Tyrann Mathieu Injury
While a Chiefs win and all the big stats are great, there was still a negative takeaway from this game. Tyrann Mathieu’s concussion was nearly detrimental to the Chiefs season. Mathieu went down early in the game after being kicked in the head by his teammate. His absence left a glaring hole in the Chiefs’ secondary, and Buffalo exploited it big time. Josh Allen knew he would have the middle of the field open, and he made KC pay literally until the final play the Bills were allowed before overtime.
Gabriel Davis and Allen put together a performance never seen before in playoffs history. Davis finished with eight catches, 201 receiving yards, and an NFL postseason record four touchdowns. Allen found Davis down the seam for two touchdowns in under two minutes that looked to give Buffalo the win.
The result ended with Allen and Daivs not getting a chance in overtime, but those are the rules. The absence of Tyrann Mathieu was evident, and if he cannot return before the AFC title game, Ja’Marr Chase could have another big day (remember, he had 266 receiving yards back in Week 17).
What were your takeaways from the Chiefs’ 42-36 win over in the Bills the AFC Divisional Round? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion.
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