From the moment the 2022 schedule was announced, fans and pundits alike had October 16 circled. Because the marquee matchup of the Week 6 slate featured arguably the best game of the entire regular season—a rematch of last year's Divisional Round classic between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Sure enough, the game was a thrilling, back-and-forth affair, with a Taron Johnson interception late sealing a 24-20 win that gave Buffalo an early leg up on the AFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
But while fans were treated to another great showdown between arguably the two best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen of the Bills and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, the game was anything but fun to watch for the other 32 teams in the NFL—because it was a stark reminder that where the AFC is concerned, it's Buffalo ands Kansas City's world, and the other 14 teams are just living in it.
And while the Philadelphia Eagles may have entered Week 6 as the NFL's last unbeaten team, if the Bills or Chiefs represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVII, whoever reps the NFC will be labeled an underdog.
It's no surprise that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. As such, the dominant storyline entering Sunday's showdown was the fifth career meeting between Allen and Mahomes. Per Jordan Foote of Arrowhead Report, before the game Mahomes expressed his respect for Allen—as well as his desire to beat him for a fourth time.
“Yeah, when you go up against the other great quarterbacks in the league, you always want to win," Mahomes said. "You always want to compete. Josh is a great guy. He’s a great quarterback – physically talented, he can throw, can run, he can really do it all. But he’s a great dude too. And so, obviously, when we’re on the football field, we are competing against each other and we want to beat each other’s teams, but I have a ton of respect for him the player and person that he is.”
As Kaden Chumbley of the Chiefs' website reported, for his part, Allen expressed a similar sentiment.
"I love watching him play – he's a fantastic player. He can do everything you want," said Allen. "He's just a special football player and a special guy. His teammates love him, and I know he's got a good grasp of the locker room over there."
Sunday's meeting between the two didn't quite feature the fireworks of last year's brouhaha, but both quarterbacks played like the megastars they are. Allen had the better evening, completing 27 of 40 passes for 329 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 117.8. Allen also picked up 32 yards on the ground, including a key play on the game-winning drive that showcased Allen's scrambling (and hurdling) ability.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportJOSH ALLEN HURDLE š±<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a>)<a href="https://t.co/phORMvnmKa">pic.twitter.com/phORMvnmKa</a>
Good luck defending that.
Mahomes had himself a game as well. Yes, the 27-year-old threw that interception on the final drive and another in the end zone in the first quarter. But Mahomes also threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns and gained 21 more yards on the ground while making typically Mahomesian plays that leave jaws on the floor.
Arrowhead Pride @ArrowheadPrideYour weekly WTF throw from Patrick Mahomes.<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/Hbs09GNYnR">pic.twitter.com/Hbs09GNYnR</a>
Calling Mahomes' effort against the Bills a "bad" game is a matter of perspective—and there are 25-plus teams in the league y\who would take that "bad" game 17 times a season.
Simply put, if you were starting a team from scratch, either Allen or Mahomes would be the quarterback. There are some who may argue for Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts or Justin Herbert, but in the eyes of most, Allen and Mahomes are the gold standard at the game's most important position.
Of course, it takes more than great quarterback play to win a championship. But neither the Chiefs nor the Bills are a one-man band.
Entering Sunday's action, the Chiefs featured the league's highest-scoring offense—an offense that hasn't missed a beat despite losing Tyreek Hill in the offseason. Kansas City features the league's best tight end in Travis Kelce and the league's third-best offensive line.
However, as scary as the Chiefs are, the Bills might be even more terrifying. Because in addition to an offense featuring one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Stefon Diggs and an excellent deep threat in Gabe Davis, the Bills also have the No. 1 scoring defense in the league—a defense that played the Chiefs about as well as a defense can reasonably be expected to.
In addition to those two interceptions Sunday, the Bills also sacked Mahomes three times, with edge-rusher Von Miller getting home twice. Kansas City was held to just 68 rushing yards and converted just four of 11 third-down attempts.
Per Foote, Chiefs coach Andy Reid remarked that Buffalo's balance and stout defense makes the Bills a difficult team to beat.
“I think if you look at all their positions, they’re solid in – you know they’re good players – in all the positions," Reid said. "You don’t see a lot of weaknesses there. They’re well-coached, they understand the scheme. I mean, they’ve been doing it now for a while and they’ve got it. And so that’s all part of it and (defensive coordinator) Leslie (Frazier) is a phenomenal football coach, so he’s got them playing hard, aggressive, and understanding the scheme.”
Now, this is where supporters of the Ravens, Bengals, Chargers and Titans will insist that the AFC is more than a two-horse race. And fans of the Eagles, Cowboys, Vikings and other NFC teams will say that even if it is, that doesn't make the inevitable playoff meeting between the Bills and Chiefs a de facto Super Bowl.
But the Ravens can't hold late leads. The Bengals are finding out how hard it is to repeat last year's magical run. The Titans are the best team in the NFL's worst division. And the Chargers have t\yet to show they can even make the playoffs.
As to the NFC's contenders, most of the conference's first-place teams don't have an elite talent at quarterback. The Rams and Buccaneers do, but they both have real issues this season and are just .500 six weeks in. The undefeated Eagles are rolling right now and would appear the best bet to knock off the two AFC behemoths, but Philly isn't as battle-tested as Buffalo or Kansas City.
We may not know who the NFC representative will be in Arizona in February is yet (although the Eagles are admittedly making a compelling case as the favorite), but there are a few things we do know. We know that the six-time defending AFC West-champion Chiefs will be headed back to the postseason, where they will be joined by a Bills team that is head-and-shoulders better than any team in the AFC East. We know the two teams will probably meet again in the playoffs. We know that whoever wins that game is a good bet to make the Super Bowl.
And we know that if they do, whoever they face in Super Bowl LVII will have their hands full.
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October 17, 2022 at 10:06AM
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In a Parity-Filled Season, Bills-Chiefs Reminds Rest of NFL Who They Are Chasing - Bleacher Report
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