The 2nd seed Buffalo Bills host the 3rd seed Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round at Highmark Stadium on Sunday at 5:30 P.M. Central Time.
Their defense has played well as of late. They are ranked 4th in points, 9th in yards, 3rd in takeaways, 11th in 1st downs, 7th in passing, 15th in rushing, 4th in sacks, 4th in pass rush win rate, and 15th in run stop win rate.
The team decided not to activate this defensive tackle off injured reserve this week.
The Buffalo Bills will not activate this defender off injured reserve.
Jordan Phillips will not have his practice window opened this week, meaning he will be on injured reserve for at least one more game.
Phillips suffered a wrist injury in Week 15. He underwent wrist surgery and was placed on injured reserve.
Phillips appeared in 14 games and started nine. He had 15 tackles, two for a loss, five quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, five pass deflections, seven pressures, and a 35.8 PFF Grade.
Here’s what Sean McDermott said about Phillips’s situation:
“He is not in a position to return right now. So he is going to stay where’s he at, and we’ll continue to monitor his situation.”
Who was his replacement?
DaQuan Jones has taken over as the starting defensive tackle with the injury to Phillips.
Jones started in the first five games of the season. He suffered a torn pectoral in Week 5 and missed the next ten games.
He returned in Week 17. He has 16 tackles, four for a loss, five quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, nine pressures, and an 86 PFF Grade in seven games.
Who’s the other starting defensive tackle?
Ed Oliver is the other starting DT. Oliver is having his best season in the NFL. He has 51 tackles, 14 for a loss, 16 quarterback hits, 9.5 sacks, one interception, three pass deflections, one forced fumble, 19 pressures, and a 67.8 PFF Grade.
Can they win?
Despite the struggles of Kansas City’s receiving corps, they still have a solid offense. Patrick Mahomes deserves a ton of credit for not giving up.
They are ranked 15th in points, 9th in yards, 9th in yards per play, 9th in first downs, 6th in passing yards, and 19th in rushing yards. They allow the 2nd-least sacks and are 1st in pass block win rate and 20th in run block win rate.
Will the Buffalo Bills stop the Kansas City Chiefs offense, and is Patrick Mahomes a different quarterback when he plays on the road in the playoffs? We will find out.
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