Evan Silva’s Matchups: Divisional Round – Chiefs at Bills

6:30 PM ET Game

Kansas City @ Buffalo

Team Totals: Bills 24, Chiefs 21.5

Already notably without two-time Pro Bowl CB Tre’Davious White (Achilles, I.R.), 2022 first-team All-Pro LB Matt Milano (broken leg, I.R.), and hulking DT Jordan Phillips (wrist, I.R.), the Bills lost 2023 second-team All-Pro CB Taron Johnson (concussion), No. 2 outside CB Christian Benford (knee), and every-down LB Terrel Bernard (ankle) in Week 19. Neither top CB Rasul Douglas (knee) nor starting LB Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) played last week. Patrick Mahomes is essentially set up to face a group of second- and third-string Bills defenders. … Over his last eight appearances, Isiah Pacheco has parlayed 129 carries into 605 yards (4.7 YPC) and five touchdowns and caught 24 of 27 targets. With Jerick McKinnon (core surgery) on I.R. and Clyde Edwards-Helaire long proven ineffective, Pacheco offers big-time usage upside versus Buffalo’s injury-depleted defense. Especially behind the powerful right side of their O-Line featuring Pro Bowl C Creed Humphrey, 320-pound mauler RG Trey Smith, and 330-pound RT Jawaan Taylor, the Chiefs are capable of imposing their power-running-game will on most defensive fronts with everyone clicking.

Especially if Taron Johnson misses — this is his second concussion of 2023 and the fifth known concussion of his career — Rashee Rice’s Divisional Round matchup will improve.