Bills to face Chiefs for AFC title
By beating the Cleveland Browns, 22-17, today, the Kansas City Chiefs earned the right to host the Buffao Bills in next Sunday night's AFC Championship Game.
The No. 2-seeded Bills, who advanced the night before with a stifling 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens, would have hosted the game if the Browns had won.
Interestingly, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the second half. This came a day after 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson was knocked out of the Ravens-Bills game in the second half with the same injury.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid was optimistic after the game that Mahomes will make his way through the league's complex concussion protocol in time to be cleared for the Bills.
"He got hit in the back of the head and kind of knocked the wind out of him and everything else with it," Reid said. "He's doing great right now, which is a real positive as we looked at this. Passed all the deals that he needed to pass, so we'll see where it goes from here."
If Mahomes is not cleared by an independent neurologist as well as his team's medical staff or is cleared but suffers a setback at any time before next weekend's kickoff, the Chiefs will be forced to turn to backup Chad Henne. Henne recovered from being intercepted in the end zone when a touchdown would have essentially sealed the outcome in the fourth quarter to lead the Chiefs to two first downs, killing the final four minutes of the game clock and preventing the Browns from getting another chance.
Mahomes' availability will be the top story leading up to next Sunday's clash and will have an effect on the line and total points set by the Las Vegas sports books.
The Chiefs have opened as three-point favorites with the total points being set at 55½ by betonline.ag. But those numbers could move drastically if Mahomes is declared out.
The Bills prevailed on Saturday evening with a defense that confounded and ultimately smothered Jackson, closing his escape routes from the pocket and eventually making him pay with an interception in the end zone that Taron Johnson returned 101 yards for a touchdown.
Mahomes is a much more polished performer, however, especially in the postseason, in which he owns a 5-1 record. He guided the Chiefs to a comeback victory in the Super Bowl last February against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Bills will come in with the advantage of one extra day to rest and prepare
