KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs will welcome another dynamic quarterback to town on Sunday: Buffalo's Josh Allen.
The young quarterback had a couple of up-and-down seasons to kick off his career, but in the 2020 season, the 24-year-old has flourished. Allen helped lead his team to a 13-3 regular-season record and their first AFC title game appearance since the Bills' 1993 season.
He’s also had more touchdowns this season than he did in his first two combined. In addition, Allen's passer rating and completion percentage have skyrocketed compared with his first two years in the league.
But the Bills' high-powered offensive success might not all come down to their flashy QB. That's not to say that Allen hasn’t grown immensely, but it also might have to do with the fact that he got a new shiny wide receiver, Stefon Diggs.
On Thursday, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talked about the threat Diggs presents.
“Well, we're hoping we can do what we can do ... our guys will get up there and press as much as they can but listen, he finds ways to beat that," Spagnuolo said. "He can force us into penalties. That hurt us the last time we played him, but we won’t change too much of what we do. We have to focus on certain calls that we have and certain situational football and we will do that.”
Veteran linebacker Anthony Hitchens said the game plan won't change much heading into Sunday compared with the last time these two teams faced. The Chiefs last met the Bills in Buffalo during Week 6, when Kansas City walked away with a 26-17 victory.
“Still got the same game plan as they did before, lots of passing, more of passing-type offense, but everybody knows that," Hitchens said. "But mix in the run game as well, so for us, game plan stays the same ... make it one-dimensional and let our pass rushers rush."
It's clear the Chiefs have their hands full this week when trying to contain a QB like Allen who can, at times, turn into a physical running back while also trying to cover a receiver like Diggs.
This situation is one that Chiefs Kingdom should keep their eyes on come Sunday.