Following a statement win over the Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, which players will continue to impress heading into the Divisional round on Sunday?
The rematch is finally here after Kansas City handled Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday. They will face a familiar foe at Arrowhead this weekend. Buffalo comes into Kansas City fired up after a big win vs New England and they certainly won’t forget last year’s AFC Championship duel heading into this matchup. Let’s take a look at three players to watch out for in this showdown.
Chris Jones
Earlier in the season when Buffalo came to Kansas City, the Chiefs were down many key assets. One of them was defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was held out with a wrist injury. Times have changed and the Chiefs are now a more complete team across the board. Adding Melvin Ingram from Pittsburgh through a midseason trade has looked like a genius move by the Chiefs’ front office.
Jones and Ingram will try to tandem together and create issues for the Buffalo offensive line. Jones specifically will focus on Bills’ Quarterback Josh Allen, who seems to be hitting his stride at the right time for the AFC East champions.
Byron Pringle
After the Chiefs lost Sammy Watkins to the Ravens in free agency, many questions surrounded who would step up and take his spot. Behind Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, Kansas City has always been searching for that real third weapon within the offense. After rotating through Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman, and Josh Gordon they may have finally found their playmaker.
Byron Pringle continues to step up when his number has been called upon. He had a huge game against the Steelers, finding the endzone twice on five catches. He will be somebody that I can see the Chiefs relying on against the Bills to make plays downfield while Hill and Kelce could potentially be heavily covered.
Stefon Diggs
Last season Stefon Diggs was a First-Team All-Pro wide receiver in his first season with Josh Allen and the Bills. Fast forward to this season and he didn’t have quite the offensive outburst that fans had hoped for in Buffalo. He still finished his second season with Buffalo with 1225 yards and 10 touchdowns, but his impact on the field hasn’t been the same.
Diggs was photographed following the AFC Championship matchup last season staying on the field watching the Chiefs celebrate and claim the Lamar Hunt Trophy. If the Bills are going to dethrone the Chiefs on Sunday and avenge that AFC Championship loss, Diggs will have to be a key factor. Let’s see if he’s got what it takes to take down the reigning AFC champs this time around.
