Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship preview: What you need to know with Super Bowl on the line

Bills vs Chiefs: Quarterback duel between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes

When it comes to Buffalo’s aerial attack, I really don’t need to waste your time here. It’s the best it’s been all season. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have forged the strongest QB-WR connection in all of football, and a different member of the supporting cast seems to step up every game. If the Chiefs are the benchmark for passing prowess, the Bills are right there with them.

When it comes to Kansas City, there is one question and one question alone: Will Mahomes play?

If Mahomes suits up, the edge goes to the Chiefs in a vacuum. Allen is firmly in the conversation for quaterback pivot in the league, but the consensus is still that Mahomes is number one.

However, we don’t live in a Dyson. Regardless of whatever pills and potions they give him, Mahomes will not be at full strength by next week. In what could be frustrating conditions in the elements at Arrowhead, this could compound into ineffectiveness. As of this writing, he remains in concussion protocol.

If the Chiefs decide to do the right thing for Mahomes’ long-term career and sit him, the picture changes. Chad Henne, who made a go of it as a starter for a couple years with the Dolphins before settling into backup roles with the Jaguars and Chiefs, would get his first career playoff start.

A pocket passer with deceptive speed, Andy Reid made it clear late in the Browns game that he trusts Henne to run his offence. But don’t get it twisted, he’s not Mahomes. Whereas Mahomes has the arm strength to cut through the wind and cold (just like Allen did against the Ravens), Henne lacks that same howitzer.

With that being said, the Bills will be getting his best shot. Expect a Taylor Heinicke-esque performance of maximum diving lunges and minimal self-preservation.

If Mahomes was at full strength, the Chiefs would have the advantage in the air. However, I’ll take a healthy Allen over a banged-up Mahomes any day.

Advantage Bills.