During this week's episode of New Heights in the lead-up to Sunday's AFC Championship game vs. the Buffalo Bills, co-host Jason Kelce asked his brother and fellow co-host Travis Kelce for his keys to the game. For obvious reasons, the Kansas City Chiefs star declined to delve too deep into analysis of the Xs and Os for the upcoming game, with a trip to the Super Bowl is on the line.
But Kelce did name two areas where the Chiefs may have an edge over the Bills: the number of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and the health of their defensive players.
"Well we do know this," Kelce said. "We got a few extra weapons on offense. I think we're a little bit healthier on the defensive side."
Relative to its Super Bowl run last season, Kansas City certainly has more weaponry, particularly at the wide receiver position, with the likes of five-time Pro Bowl selection DeAndre Hopkins, free agent addition Marquise Brown and 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy.
But Buffalo still boasts an offense led by NFL MVP finalist Josh Allen, who completed a pass to seven different receivers in the divisional round win over the Baltimore Ravens, and running back James Cook, who has 187 rushing yards in the club's two postseason victories.
Perhaps the area where Kelce's analysis may be the most accurate is with the health of the two teams' defenses. Kansas City, which was a bit banged up on the defensive end towards the end of the regular season, used the first round bye to get healthy and now has just one starter, cornerback Jaylen Watson, listed on the injury report as a full participant at practice.
Meanwhile, Bills starting safety Taylor Rapp on Friday was ruled out with back and hip injuries, thrusting rookie Cole Bishop into a starting role. Bills corner Christian Benford is in the league's concussion protocol and missed Friday's practice due to a personal matter, though coach Sean McDermott said he expects Benford to be back with the team later Friday.
Linebacker Matt Milano and nickel corner Taron Johnson, each practicing fully, are both nursing multiple injuries heading into the contest.
While noting these advantages, Kelce knows the Chiefs are still in for a "dogfight."
"It doesn't mean that we'll have the upper hand just because of that," Kelce said. "Two great coached teams. Two superstars at quarterback. And playmakers all over the board. The biggest thing for me is just going out there and playing my f------ tail off for these guys next to me, man.
"We're excited for that challenge to go up against these Bills. We know they match up very good with us. It's a very familiar matchup. We've seen these guys a lot. We've seen them a lot in the playoffs and the regular season. It's gonna be a dogfight."
The Chiefs are two-point favorites over the Bills as of Friday afternoon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Kelce Honestly Expresses Chiefs' Confidence in Two Areas of Advantage Over Bills.