By: Ivan Mulinder

There is no news yet on whether Deshaun Watson will play in the 2022 season for the Cleveland Browns. He has 24 civil lawsuits against him, but two Texan grand juries said there wasn’t enough evidence for criminal proceedings, so it’s hard to predict what the NFL will do. This article is going to make the assumption that Watson will be banned for a number of games in 2022 (possibly as many as 6+ contests). This leads to the ultimate question: so what are the implications for the Browns upcoming season?

The Cleveland Browns have built a very good roster on both offense and defense, one that should be competing for the AFC North and the AFC Championship, but how much of this expectation is based on Deshaun Watson being the starting QB for the entire season? What is going to happen if Jacoby Brissett starts the first half of the season, or even plays the entire season? To try and answer this question we have to look at his meaningful playing time.

Jacoby Brissett was drafted in the 3rd Round in 2016 with pick 29. This will be his seventh season and he has started 37 of 60 games with 14 wins and 23 losses. He’s had 3 meaningful seasons in terms of playing time under his belt in 2021, 2019 and 2017. Let’s have a look at his stats in those three seasons.

2021 Season Stats

• Played 11 games
• 1,283 yards, 116.6 yards per game
• 141 completions, 62.7% completion rate
• 5 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
• Passer Rating 78.1

2019 Season Stats

• Played 15 games
• 2,942 yards
• 272 completions, 60.8% completion rate
• 18 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
• Passer Rating 88.0

2017 Season Stats

• Played 16 games
• 3,098 yards
• 276 completions, 58.8% completion rate
• 13 touchdowns, 7 interceptions
• Passer Rating 81.7

There’s a lot to potentially like here, but there are also some serious question marks in these stats. On the positive side, a Passer Rating of over 80 is considered to be good for a QB. Jacoby Brissett can therefore be considered a good QB. When given enough playing time he has accumulated some very good total yardage (with 2 of his 3 seasons averaging 3,000 yards). In both 2019 and 2021, he had a decent completion % and he is capable of putting some rushing yards on the ground if required with 260 rushing yards in 2017 and 228 in 2019. He rarely fumbles the ball with only 3 fumbles each in seasons 2017 & 2019.

On the other hand, there is clearly a lack of touchdowns. Good QBs would be expected to hit over 20+ in a season with closer to 30 being ideal. His interception rate per touchdown isn’t comfortable reading and his win-loss record has always been negative. In 2017 – he went 4-11 with the Colts and in 2019 he went 7-8. Statistically, he consistently ranks between 20-30 in the QB rankings depending on what data you look at. For example, with his air yards per attempt in 2021, he ranked 27th.

There are signs that the Cleveland Browns have a QB in Jacoby Brissett that can keep them competitive if he’s asked to start the first 6-8 games. The Colts went 7-8 in 2019, but they started the season 5-2. In the last two games, Brissett won two contests: beating Baltimore 22-10 (with 11 completions for 156 yards and a completion percentage of 70.2%) & Houston 17-9 (with 26 completions for 244 yards and a completion percentage of 64.5%). In addition, take a look at these more advanced passing rankings for last season:

• Deep Ball Catchable Pass Rate 1st
• Pressured Accuracy Rating 2nd
• Red Zone Accuracy Rating 2nd
• Accuracy Rating v Zone 2nd
• Clean Pocket Accuracy Rating 4th
• Deep Ball Accuracy Rating 7th

The Browns have a very strong run game with possibly the best OL in the NFL. With the run game getting Brissett to the Red Zone where he’s very accurate, and his OL giving him great protection to throw deep balls in a clean pocket, where he’s also very accurate, the Browns Front Office might just have the perfect backup for their first half of the season. Who do the Browns play in their first 6-8 games? In their first 6 games they play:

• @ Carolina (win?)
• v NY Jets (win?)
• v Pittsburgh (win?)
• @ Atlanta (win?)
• v Chargers
• v New England (win?)

The Browns then play away in Baltimore before another home game against Cincinnati followed by their Bye week. If Watson is banned for the first 6 games the season isn’t over for the Browns with Brissett more than capable of managing game wins over most of their opponents. However, if Watson gets 8+ game bans then we have to remember that Brissett is a 3rd Round pick and the stats would suggest that the more games he plays the more average to below-average he becomes. He is a backup QB and the Browns need Deshaun Watson playing if they’re going to win Championships.

The post What does Jacoby Brissett bring to the Browns? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The AFC North is currently one of the league’s best divisions. Three of the four teams made the playoffs last season, the most of any division in the NFL.

All four teams have strengthened this offseason as the three teams look to take a trip back to the postseason, whilst the Cincinnati Bengals also look to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.

Here is a preview of the AFC North in the upcoming 2021 season.

Baltimore Ravens (2020 Record: 11-5, lost in Divisional Round)

Baltimore went into the 2020 season with plenty of hype, particularly around quarterback Lamar Jackson. He was crowned MVP after his brilliant 2019 season, with many predicting their week three clash with the Kansas City Chiefs seen as a preview of the AFC Championship game. It seemed that every pundit had the Ravens v Chiefs as a foregone conclusion for this game.

However, the 2020 season didn’t pan out this way. Whilst they made the Divisional Round and were one game away from the AFC Championship, they were outclassed by the Buffalo Bills in the postseason and almost didn’t make the playoffs altogether. Jackson saw some regression, particularly when it came to passing the football. After throwing for 36 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and 3,127 yards in 2019, Jackson threw for 26 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and 2,757 yards in 2020. After a three-game losing streak, Baltimore won their last five games as they reached the playoffs at the expense of the Miami Dolphins. Can they get back to the team we saw in 2019 that earned the number one seed in the AFC?

They have addressed their biggest concern, getting help for Lamar. Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins has joined in Free Agency and Rashod Bateman was taken 27th overall by the Ravens in this years’ draft. Along with Marquise Brown, Lamar has some great options. Offensive line help had also been added, with Kevin Zeitler and Alejandro Villanueva taken in Free Agency. Baltimore also selected guard Ben Cleveland in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Everyone knows Jackson’s ability to run with the ball, with 2,906 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns during his first three seasons in the NFL. If he is to succeed with the throwing of the football, the Ravens have certainly done all they can.

Baltimore’s defense finished sixth in passing yards allowed in 2020 and only the Los Angeles Rams allowed fewer overall points than the Ravens. Their defense will hope to have a similar impact in 2021 and will want to improve on their run defense, finishing eighth overall. Losing Matt Judon to the New England Patriots will be a big loss, considering he recorded 21 quarterback hits and 6 sacks. However, the Ravens defense has all the talent to atone for losing a big part of their unit.

Linebacker Patrick Queen recorded 106 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 10 quarterback hits, and 3 sacks during his rookie 2020 season. Tyus Bowser recorded three interceptions and cornerback Marlon Humphrey recorded 8 forced fumbles, 11 passes deflected 82 total tackles, and four quarterback hits. Head coach John Harbaugh won’t allow this defensive front to slack.

Games against the Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Browns, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams make for some tough fixtures, but games against the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and two games against a rebuilding Bengals side will offer the Ravens some rest bite.

Baltimore’s season hopes rest on the form of Lamar. If they get the 2019 version, then expect the Ravens to be Super Bowl contenders. If we see the Lamar of the majority of 2020, then they will make the playoffs but should expect to be playing on Wildcard Weekend.

Prediction: 2nd in AFC North.

Cincinnati Bengals (2020 Record: 4-11-1, missed out on playoffs)

When the Bengals went all the way to the Super Bowl during the 1988 season, nobody would have predicted them to play in just nine further playoff games and win just once in the 33 seasons that have followed. They have been one of the league’s poorest performers over recent years. They were offered hope in the 2020 NFL Draft when LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was taken first overall. However, a season-ending knee injury midseason that included a torn ACL and MCL meant that his campaign was cut short despite a promising start that saw 13 touchdowns thrown, 5 interceptions, and 2,688 yards in ten games. This amounts to 268.8 yards, 1.3 touchdowns and 0.5 interceptions per game.

Burrow showed a lot of promise worthy of being a number one overall pick, even earning praise from Lebron James on Twitter. Can he get back to full health and become the quarterback everyone expects him to be?

He will be reunited with his college receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who recorded 20 touchdown receptions and 1,780 receiving yards in the 2019 season that saw LSU go all the way and win the National Championship. There have been some concerns in the preseason with Chase’s dropped passes but these are teething problems and the rookie wideout may need some time to adjust to the pros.

Safety Jessie Bates is one of the more underrated in the league in his position and at just 24, he can offer many more years to this franchise. Further on the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals added defensive end Trey Hendrickson and cornerback Mike Hilton in Free Agency along with linebacker Joseph Ossai in the third round of the draft. Hendrickson recorded 13.5 sacks in 2020. He will want to prove he is more than just a one-season wonder who performed well on their contract year. Hilton offers depth to the Cincinnati secondary. Late pick Wyatt Hubert suffered a season-ending injury in July but he offers potential for the future, with 8.5 sacks for Kansas State in 2020 and 20 across the 34 college games he participated in.

Expect the Bengals to struggle in 2021 in what is a big year for head coach Zac Taylor. They are certainly a team to watch for the future, especially with receiving talent such as Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins as well as a running back as impressive as Joe Mixon.

Prediction: 4th in AFC North

Cleveland Browns (2020 Record: 11-5, lost in Divisional Round)

The Cleveland Browns had been starved of success, with no playoff appearance since the 2002 season. They finally ended this hoodoo by reaching the postseason, beating the Steelers 48-37 in the Wildcard Round. Their journey would end against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round despite their valiant effort. Can they go one or two steps further by reaching the AFC Championship or even the Super Bowl?

Cleveland’s first target in 2021 will be to win the division, which they last won in the 1989 season. It has been so long since they won the division, that two teams have won it more recently than the Browns who aren’t even in the division anymore. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans won the AFC North in 1999 and 2000. They have a genuine chance of winning this division. It will be a tough challenge for any of the four teams to win it but the Browns have had the best offseason and this could be a deciding factor.

Safety John Johnson was added in Free Agency as well as defensive end Jadaveon Clowney, who could be a real difference-maker to this defensive line. Fellow defensive end Myles Garrett is one of the league’s best. The 2017 first overall pick recorded 12 sacks in 2020, making it 42.5 across his four-year career. You could make the case that only Aaron Donald is more feared by opposing offenses than Garrett.

Garrett is often a victim of his success, with many teams choosing to double-team him. Adding someone in of Clowney’s quality, despite struggling with injuries and consistency, will help ease the pressure off Garrett and elevate this defense. If Garrett is double-teamed, this will open the door for Clowney to get to the quarterback.

Defensively, the Browns also added one of the best defensive prospects in the draft. Notre Dame Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah somehow fell into the second round, with Cleveland taking him 52nd overall. Alongside Sione Takitaki, who recorded 67 total tackles in 2020, this pair can help this team in the middle of the field as well as from the outside.

One of Cleveland’s best assets last season was their run game. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were excellent and both combined for 1,908 yards and 18 touchdowns between them. They were protected well by an offensive line that was excellent at opening up gaps for their two running backs. This was guard Wyatt Teller’s specialty and he is one of the best in the league at it. Alongside Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, and Joel Bitonio, this forms one of the league’s best offensive lines that also massively helped quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Oklahoma QB impressed in his 2018 rookie season after being taken first overall but suffered a sophomore slump in 2019. Last year saw a massive improvement in Mayfield, with 3,563 yards and 26 touchdowns. He had better numbers in previous seasons but there was a much more mature Baker, someone who came up big in important situations. He combined for 467 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception across the two playoff games last season.

With Odell Beckham back healthy, it will be interesting to see how the season goes considering how better the team looked without him on the field. He is being backed by some for Comeback Player of the Year, but injuries have played a part in recent years and there is no guarantee that they won’t reappear in 2021. Jarvis Landry was the lead receiver but will want to improve on the three touchdowns and 841 yards he racked up in 2020. He may find this tough under a system that excels when predominantly using the run game. Head coach Kevin Stefanski won Coach of the Year last season and will look to build on what was an impressive first season as an NFL head coach. The Browns have long searched for a good head coach and they appear to have finally found this.

There is trepidation about backing the Browns. They went into the 2019 season with similar hype and ultimately disappointed, with just six wins. However, this time they arent going into the season with a new head coach. Stefanski already knows the players and it is unlikely that he has a falling out with Mayfield as we saw with Freddie Kitchens in 2019. Mayfield will become the first Browns quarterback to start in week 1 in three consecutive seasons. This level of consistency has been hard to find for a franchise that has been perennial strugglers during the Super Bowl era.

It has been dangerous to trust the Browns over the years, but this year feels different. Hello first division title in over thirty years.

Prediction: 1st in AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers (2020 Record: 12-4, lost In Wildcard Round)

Along with the New England Patriots, the Steelers’ six Lombardi Trophies put them as the joint-most successful franchise in NFL history during the Super Bowl era. Pittsburgh is always there or thereabouts, with playoff appearances in 13 seasons since the turn of the 21st century. However, they have only won consecutive playoff games in the same season once since the conclusion of the 2011 campaign.

The trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell failed to make the most of a very impressive offense. Both Bell and Brown have left, with the latter winning a ring and scoring in Super Bowl 55. Big Ben is likely to be in his last season, hoping for one last chance at a third Lombardi.

Wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster recorded 9 touchdowns and 831 yards in 2020 and Chase Claypool recorded very similar numbers during his rookie season. Diontae Johnson scored seven touchdowns and racked up 923 yards in the same campaign. Despite these numbers, they are going to struggle to put up similar numbers with the arm of Big Ben regressing and on the decline.

Pittsburgh was dead last in rushing yards record in 2020 (1,351), with running backs Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook both recording more yards than the entire Steelers offense. James Conner was the Steelers’ leading rusher (721) but is now an Arizona Cardinals player. The franchise went out to address this, by taking Alabama’s Najee Harris 24th overall. He will hope to add to a run game that struggled immensely last season.

Defensively, Bud Dupree may have moved to the Tennessee Titans during Free Agency but the Steelers still have T.J. Watt, Devin Bush, Joe Schobert, Joe Haden, Cameron Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. All of these players are fearsome on the defensive side of the ball and will give Pittsburgh a chance to win games if the offense struggles. Combine this with the head coaching of Mike Tomlin, then the Steelers should never be written off. However, the overall strength of division rivals Baltimore and Cleveland means that the Steelers may have to prepare for missing out on the playoffs altogether.

Prediction: 3rd in AFC North

The post Latest AFC North preview appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The Jacksonville Jaguars will go into the 2021 season with a new head coach. Urban Meyer is the new man to take charge, hoping to be the guy to change the fortunes of a franchise that has struggled for many years. After drafting the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck in Trevor Lawrence this year with the number one overall pick, the Jags fans have rarely gone into a season this excited. The Jags have twice gone into a season on the back of reaching an AFC Championship game but with the addition of Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence, there is a real buzz around the organization and in the city of Jacksonville. However, Urban Meyer has never coached in the NFL. He is one of the most successful college head coaches of his generation. Can he translate this to the pros?

His Journey As A Player

Meyer was a walk-on in college as a defensive back for the University of Cincinnati, despite initially being drafted by Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves in 1982. Injury would deny Meyer the chance to make it as a professional player, but he showed signs of his coaching credentials whilst in college. He would go back to college, heading to Ohio State University where he studied sports administration. He would get a degree at both colleges, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Cincinnati and sports administration at Ohio State, which will have no doubt helped him massively during his time as a football coach.

He may not have made it to the NFL as a player but he showed signs of his credentials as a coach during his time in college. Meyer would often spend additional time in practice, learning how to run them and handle substitutions. These all prepared him for life as a coach. As a player, he was part of a Cincinnati team that finished 2-9, with Meyer saying that it “wasn’t a great experience. We weren’t very good”. This will help him be prepared for a Jaguars team that won just one game in 2020. His former coach in Cincinnati David Currey spoke of his coaching abilities.

“He was not a great player but you could tell he would coach for a living. He was a student of the game, always trying to learn about things”.

The Start Of Meyer’s Coaching Career

He started his coaching career in 1985 as a defensive backs coach for St Xavier High School in Ohio before becoming a graduate assistant for two seasons with Ohio State. He spent two years with Illinois State as an outside linebackers coach in 1988 and a quarterback and wide receivers coach in 1989. He would then spend eleven years as a wide receivers coach, spending six with Colorado State and then five with Notre Dame before getting his first head coaching job in 2001 with Bowling Green.

The Early Stages Of His Time As A Head Coach In College

Meyer only spent two seasons with Bowling Green but would leave the team with a 17-6 record in charge. Highlights of his time there was the 56-21 win over rivals, the University of Toledo Rockets. Whilst with Bowling Green, he transformer their fortunes. He joined with the team having gone 2-9 in 2000 to then go 8-3 in 2001 and 9-3 in 2002, before leaving for the University of Utah.

Utah hired Meyer and was an instant success, going 10-2 and winning the Liberty Bowl in 2003. They would go 12-0 and win the Fiesta Bowl in 2004. Whilst with the university, he coached safety Eric Weddle and quarterback Alex Smith, who went on to be the number one overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Smith would become an inspiration to everyone when he went on to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year during the 2020 season, returning the field after a life threatening injury in 2018.

Meyer openly claimed that he “made Utah competitive” during his time there. Morgan Scalley played as a defensive back under Meyer at Utah before going on to become a defensive coordinator with the college. He spoke of how Meyer changed everything.

“You could tell it would be different from the first session at the weight room. I never had butterflies going into a weight room and that had me going”.

Success With Florida and Ohio State

The Florida Gators then came calling in 2005, where Meyer would spend the next six seasons. He would coach notable players such as Cam Newton, Carlos Dunlap, Janoris Jenkins, Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, Tim Tebow and Trey Burton during his time in Florida as head coach. With an overall record 65-15 with the Gators, Meyer won Florida the Outback Bowl and the Sugar Bowl as well as winning two National Championships. He had a 5-1 record with Florida in Bowl games. Following a health scare, Meyer decided to leave the Gators after the 2010 seasons as he wanted to put focus on his family and “life away from the field”.

He soon returned to college football, becoming Ohio State head coach two seasons later. During his time with the team, he had an 83-9 record. He won one National Championship as well as a Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. His time there sadly ended in controversy, before leaving in 2018 due to health reasons. He spent time as a television analyst before accepting the Jacksonville head coaching position in January 2021.

His Coaching Style & The Spread Offense

Meyer is seen as someone who is competitive, fiery and resolute. His “juice” is said to fire his teams up, with his infectious personality an integral part of his head coaching success. During his time as an analyst, he often went through a breakdown of offensive systems, with one component of his style of coaching being his Spread Offense.

This is a scheme which features four receivers, resulting in the opposition defense attempting to cover these players. This system allows the run game to excel, with RPO and read option plays often used under this style of offense. In a modern day NFL, we are seeing plenty of college schemes being brought into the league. Meyer will look to bring this style of coaching into the NFL that worked so well for him in college.

Can He Transform The Jaguars?

This is not going to be an easy task for Meyer but as he showed in Utah, he is capable of turning a team around. Jacksonville has the talent on their roster but have never seemed to fulfil their potential. One of their aforementioned trips to the AFC Championship was in the 2017 season. Their defense named ‘Sacksonville” played a big part in their journey, where they had a ten point lead and were nine minutes away from reaching the Super Bowl. They would end up losing 24-20 in agonizing fashion.

The components of Sacksonville would slowly fall apart. Jalen Ramsey, Malik Jackson and Yannick Ngakoue all left in 2019, with both A.J. Bouye and Calais Campbell leaving in 2020. Quarterback Blake Bortles was seen as the player holding back the team, being released in March 2019 as the Jaguars looked to Nick Foles, who won Super Bowl 52 MVP just a year earlier. He was seen as the missing piece in the jigsaw but only lasted one season in a disappointing spell with the franchise.

Head coach Doug Marrone guided Jacksonville to the AFC Championship and a 10-6 record in his first full season as head coach of the franchise. Despite this, he couldn’t guide them to more than six wins in any of the three seasons that followed before being fired in January 2021. Issues off the field started to develop, with the players arrested on their annual trip to London in 2018 after an unpaid £50,000 drinks bill. Meyer won’t stand for any negative behaviour with his aforementioned fiery, competitive and infectious personality is likely to keep the players in check.

And then of course, there is Lawrence. One of the best college prospects in many years, he brings a lot of expectation with Jags fans pinning their hopes on him being the man to bring the good times to this franchise. He had not lost a regular season game since high school and reached the National Championship in two of his three seasons with the Clemson Tigers, winning one of those two.

He played 40 games in college and threw for 758 out of his 1,138 throws, giving him a 66.6 completion percentage. Across his time with Clemson, he threw for 90 touchdowns and 10,098 yards. Jacksonville have a real talent on their hands and they need to do everything they can to ensure he fulfils his tremendous potential.

Along with Lawrence, they have reunited their number one overall pick with his Clemson team-mate in running back Travis Etienne, who recorded 70 rushing touchdowns and 4,952 rushing yards during his four seasons in the ACC. He will join a running back room alongside James Robinson, who impressed highly in 2020 during his rookie year with 1,070 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. Etienne is said to also be working out as a receiver, which gives variety to the offensive side of the ball. Former Detroit Lions wideout Marvin Jones has joined the team via Free Agency to add depth to a wide receiver room already including DJ Chark Jr and Laviska Shenault Jr. Second-round pick Tyson Campbell gives depth to the Jaguars secondary, as will 65th overall pick Andre Cisco. 45th overall selection Walker Little will add protection to the Jags offensive line. Myles Jack is a survivor from the Sacksonville era and alongside fellow linebacker Josh Allen, they have the potential to cause problems for the opposition.

Jacksonville have a long rebuild ahead and fans should not expect an immediate transformation. Doubts remain over new Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz and whether he can get back to his 2017 form. The Tennessee Titans’ defense is seen as their Achilles heels and the Houston Texans are a mess. They will likely see their quarterback Deshaun Watson leave, which will result in years of struggles and mediocrity. This is not the toughest division in the NFL and the Jags will want to capitalise on this, but the improvement will likely be in either year 2, 3 or 4 of the Urban Meyer Jacksonville era.

The post Urban Meyer’s career so far: can he transform the Jaguars? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Courtney Burrow (Twitter: @luvtractor3)

The Buffalo Bills march into Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday to face defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Showdown. 

The Bills are coming off a 17-3 win over the Ravens, and the Chiefs were 22-17 over the Browns where Mahomes was injured and is in concussion protocol. 

Mahomes will play Sunday barring setbacks, but the Bills are healthy and ready to advance, and here’s how they can do it.

Defensive Keys

The Chiefs’ Hill and Kelce are threats that cannot be completely neutralized but can be lessened if the secondary and defense step up. 

In Week 6, the Bills were missing key players in the matchup versus the Chiefs.  Matt Milano, the Bills star linebacker was out, but he is back and held Ravens TE Andrews last week to 28 yards on 11 targets.  Milano and fellow linebacker Tremaine Edmunds must be aggressive and hold Kelce to that same number or less. 

Kelce is Mahomes’s safety blanket, and if Mahomes is a little shaky from his injury, he will look to Kelce in the short passing plays for relief.  Defensive coordinator Frazier and his unit must blitz and pressure Mahomes and trust that their cornerbacks will be stride for stride with star wideout Tyrek Hill. 

Bills’ CB Tre’Davious White shadowed Raven’s “Hollywood” Brown in the divisional round game holding him to only 30 yards, and this must be repeated to ensure that Hill is not a deep option because he is incredibly fast and can and will beat his defenders if given the space. 

In the Chiefs Week 6 win, the Bills defense held Mahomes and company to 221 yards in the air, but the running game exploded with 245 rushing yards.  So, the defense must be prepared to contain CEH, Bell, or Williams in the running game and most importantly shut down Mahomes in the air and create turnovers.  

Since mid-December, Mahomes has had three fumbles and four interceptions, and being banged up means that blitzing the line is key! The Bills defense has consistently gotten better in the second half of the season and is healthy, and they will be the secret to the Bills rolling to a Super Bowl appearance. 

Offensive Keys

Rookie Zack Moss had a season-ending ankle injury in the Wild Card game vs the Colts, which left Devin Singletary to carry the load, and the Bills don’t even rely on him for goal-line carries.  In last week’s win over the Ravens, Singletary carried for 25 yards and additional 12 yards on three receptions, but that will not cut it against the Chiefs. 

Singletary must be more involved and confident between the tackles, which means that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll must get him involved early so that some of the pressure is taken off Allen.  Singletary doesn’t need a 100 plus yard game, he just must be utilized more.

Josh Allen has had an incredible season throwing for 4, 544 yards relying on Diggs most of the way, but he must spread the wealth and look for Beasley (even though he isn’t 100%), Brown, and Knox as I expect the Chiefs secondary to be shadowing Diggs heavily. 

Diggs is a yardage machine racking up 106 yards and a touchdown in the divisional game vs the Ravens, and I expect Allen to continue to look Diggs’s way and will find the open field, but Allen cannot rely solely on him. 

Allen went 23 of 37 and 206-yards vs the Ravens, and that was a decent outing but considering how he averaged 300 yards the last three games of the season and is completing 69.2 % of his passes, I truly don’t think that Allen has shown us his top potential like he will this weekend against a good but beatable Chiefs defense.

This season, the Bills have had 68 red zone attempts to the Chiefs 59, so Allen must get the ball into the endzone early and not settle for Bass’s leg and field goals.  The goal is to keep the Chief’s offense off the field. 

The Bills are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, and they haven’t lost since Week 10 vs Arizona when Hopkins caught that Hail Mary.  Needless to say, they are hot right now, and I am going with the hot hand and Josh Allen’s determination to bring the Bills to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994. 

Prediction Bills 31-27

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