Bills might finally have the formula to beating Chiefs in January

It might seem tempting to roll your eyes at the Buffalo Bills' 28-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. 

After all, the Bills have defeated the Chiefs in three of the last four regular seasons only to lose to them in the postseason each year. Time after time, the Chiefs have been able to make the necessary adjustments after their regular-season salvo and then execute better than the Bills when the game matters most. 

There is no question that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid will always receive the benefit of the doubt over Josh Allen and Sean McDermott until the Bills can get the monkey off their back in the postseason. Yet while the Chiefs may be able to shrug off Sunday's loss, the Bills displayed some notable changes that could serve them well come January. 

Why the Bills may be better equipped than ever for a January upset of Chiefs 

Though each postseason matchup has featured a different kind of heartbreak for Bills fans, there have been two common themes. Their defensive backs have been unable to keep up with the speed of the Chiefs' receivers, and their defensive line has been unable to consistently pressure and bring down Mahomes.

Understanding their deficiencies, the Bills made a big move in each department this offseason, signing defensive end Joey Bosa to a one-year deal and drafting cornerback Maxwell Hairston in the first round after he posted a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine. 

Though the Bills may never admit it, each player was brought in specifically for their matchups against the Chiefs, and they have to be thrilled with the early returns. Bosa seemed to be in the backfield all game long, registered four quarterback hits and a sack, while Hairston recorded the first interception of his career and held speedster Xavier Worthy to just 23 yards.

Together, the two new additions helped force Mahomes into the lowest completion percentage of his career and post his lowest passer rating ever against the Bills.