In Week 14, the most effective rivalries in latest reminiscence will get renewed when the Buffalo Payments journey to Kansas Metropolis to tackle the Chiefs. Nevertheless, this yr’s assembly has a a lot completely different that means than previous battles. The Payments have had the Chiefs’ quantity within the common season for the previous two years (the playoffs are a different story), and desperately want to seek out that very same juice this week to maintain their playoff hopes alive. This sport has been billed over the previous few years as a possible AFC championship sport preview. This time, it’s about two groups struggling to get again on observe.
Kansas Metropolis enters Week 14, having misplaced three of their final 5 video games, and that comes on the heels of a six-game profitable streak. At 8-4, KC has a agency lead within the AFC West however is preventing to remain within the race for home-field benefit. The Chiefs haven’t regarded the identical just lately, dropping video games they’d often win, like their Week 8 loss to Denver, 24-9. Earlier than that, the Chiefs had crushed the Broncos 16 video games in a row courting again to 2015. Peyton Manning was nonetheless tossing wobbly balls throughout the yard for Denver. That’s how lengthy it’d been since they’d been capable of wrangle KC.
Whereas Kansas Metropolis has struggled these days, Week 14 isn’t practically as essential for them as it’s for Buffalo. At 6-6, the Payments are presently on the surface, hoping to leap again into the postseason image. They’re tied with Cincinnati and Denver, sitting one sport behind Houston (and a half-game behind Pittsburgh) for the ultimate AFC playoff slot.
The Payments have been nothing wanting disappointing in a yr they got here into as many individuals’s Tremendous Bowl favorites. An alarm ought to’ve gone off for everybody in Week 1 after the Payments misplaced to the Jets, minus Aaron Rodgers. He ran 4 performs earlier than a torn Achilles sidelined him for the yr. Regardless of Buffalo bouncing again from that loss, they’ve been mediocre for the higher a part of the season. The Payments are 3-5 since Week 5 and even misplaced to the Patriots in October. Historically, dropping to New England was nothing to be ashamed of within the Invoice Belichick period, however in a yr the place they’re headed for a top-five draft decide, that loss exhibits how far Buffalo has fallen.
Though each groups must get again on the profitable facet of issues, it’s a can’t-lose state of affairs for the Payments. Every thing taking place across the Payments group this yr makes it seem to be drastic modifications might be on the horizon. Buffalo already parted methods with former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey a number of weeks again. Then there’s the story about head coach Sean McDermott’s “motivational speech” from 2019 referencing 9/11 terrorists leaking, and now you’ve obtained a full-on drama.
None of that’s what a franchise needs to be the main focus of their season. The way in which this Payments group has performed, this locker room could have tuned out McDermott at this level. McDermott’s been there seven years, and with all this expertise, they’ve reached one AFC title sport, which they misplaced to Kansas Metropolis. After seven years, it is perhaps time for a new philosophy in that locker room. And if the Payments fall to the Chiefs on Sunday afternoon, they could as properly put together for winter trip as a result of it’s a wrap for the postseason.
