For the first time in the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs had to go on the road for a playoff game. They were going into a hostile environment in Orchard Park to play against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
It was a hard-fought game, one that the Chiefs came away victorious from. They defeated the Bills 27-24, advancing to the AFC Championship Game. There they will face off against the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens, which defeated the Houston Texans 34-10 in their Divisional Round matchup.
Going into Baltimore to try and win is no small task. The Ravens have been arguably the best team in the NFL this season and are clicking in every facet of the game. Defeating them when at full strength is hard enough, but the Chiefs may not even have that luxury.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Kansas City could be without their star guard, Joe Thuney, for the remainder of the postseason. Thuney suffered a pectoral injury against the Bills and is set to undergo an MRI to assess the damage.
That would be a major blow to the Chiefs offense if they had to go up against the Ravens without Thuney in the lineup. The Ravens have been able to generate a successful pass rush against the best offensive line units in the NFL; going against a backup on the interior of the Kansas City unit would give them a huge advantage.
The Chiefs have struggled to generate offensive production this season consistently. The biggest reason for their struggles has been the underwhelming performance of their wide receiver group. The offensive line hasn’t been great, but they have held up when needed most.
Without Thuney, more pressure will be on tackles Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor, who have both struggled at times this season with penalties. To defeat a team as talented as the Ravens, you need to be clicking on all cylinders. Facing their top-ranked defense without your best offensive line protect Mahomes could be a recipe for disaster.
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