For a half-decade, the Kansas City Chiefs had the most feared offense in football. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was ruthless within structure, and when forced out of it created plays few are willing to attempt. In 2023, though, they’ve been knocked off their pedestal.
Make no mistake, Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet and more than capable of bringing home his third Super Bowl championship. But the Buffalo Bills will welcome Kansas City to Western New York on Sunday in its weakest form of the Mahomes era.
Canton-bound tight end Travis Kelce hasn’t been his utterly dominant self – falling short of 1,000 yards and scoring seven fewer touchdowns than last season. The loss of receiver Tyreek Hill, after not mattering a year ago, has become prevalent as discord and drops have plagued the receiver room.
Forced out of the pocket, Mahomes no longer has game-breaking options available to him, making Buffalo’s interior pressure that much more important. Now, more than ever, forcing Mahomes out of structure is a viable plan of attack.
Assistant head coach Eric Washington spoke about the importance of interior pressure and how it could impact Sunday’s Divisional Round matchup.
“Without question, protection concepts would like to set the depth of the pocket,” Washington said. “It gives the quarterback an opportunity to survey, go through his reads and progressions, and then step up in the pocket if things start to extend. We have to make sure we take that away from the opponent.
“Not just this week, but every week, that’s a goal we have – whether it’s a one-on-one win or collectively as a unit, just kind of denting the pocket, obstructing the looks for the quarterback.”
Fortunately for Bills Mafia, Buffalo doesn’t just have a strong pair of defensive tackles – it might have the best in the sport.
Ed Oliver generated 72 pressures, per Pro Football Focus, the third-most of any interior lineman. He was tasked with proving himself after a lucrative extension and has lived up to those expectations. In the Wild Card Round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he took over, notching seven pressures and a batted pass.
DaQuan Jones, meanwhile, was performing at an All-Pro level before a pectoral injury forced him to miss a large chunk of the season. He returned, and after a game of getting back up to speed, that dominant form followed. He is both invaluable to the Bills’ run defense and their highest-graded pass rusher.
Washington hopes the duo can have a similar impact as they had last season, as Jones missed Buffalo’s Week 14 win.
“Last year, when DaQuan was with us when we played in Kansas City, he did a really good job of winning his one-on-one and taking the depth away from the pocket. And then Ed had a chance to work,” Washington said. “All of a sudden DaQuan accumulates blocks by collapsing the pocket, now hopefully that gives Ed a little more room to work and to roam.”
Forcing Mahomes outside of the pocket, or funneling him into the path of other pass rushers, is a chance to make him look mortal compared to years past. With an offense that is rougher around the margins and receivers he has been burned for trusting, pushing the pocket may be the paramount -- and most accessible -- step in exorcising the Bills’ playoff demons.
More must-reads: