The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Buffalo Payments are set to conflict within the AFC Championship Sport, with a visit to Tremendous Bowl LIX on the road. Whereas the Chiefs boast a potent offense led by Patrick Mahomes, their success on Sunday will doubtless hinge on the protection’s means to comprise Payments quarterback Josh Allen.
Able to carving up opposing defenses with each his robust arm and bodily operating means, Allen presents a troublesome problem for Kansas Metropolis. Nevertheless, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie is assured that the workforce will probably be able to rise to the event.
“I feel everyone right here is aware of the participant that’s coming in to play,” McDuffie mentioned concerning the matchup towards Allen. “He has a extremely robust arm. He can actually simply do all of it, could make all of the throws, and might run the ball very effectively. This yr, you possibly can see his confidence. He’s making smarter choices, not turning the ball over as a lot, and he actually has that offense rolling. So, we all know it’s going to be an enormous problem, however we performed him just a few years, so we all know what he’s about.”
Regardless of barely decrease passing numbers this season, Allen stays one of many league’s greatest quarterbacks. He completed the common season with 3,731 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, and his six interceptions marked the bottom whole of his profession — a testomony to his improved decision-making.
Allen additionally contributed 531 speeding yards and 12 touchdowns on the bottom, an space of his recreation that McDuffie emphasised as a significant component in his progress this season.
“It simply comes right down to his scrambling,” McDuffie noticed. ”Once you look again previously, he’s a type of guys that’s clearly going to get out of the pocket, goes to make use of his toes very well, and purchase time for his receivers. Prior to now, he might take just a few deep pictures or simply throw the ball on the market and have his man make a play. This yr he’s both tucking it and operating it, or in the event you don’t see it, throwing it away. For me, that simply reveals progress.”
The Chiefs know all too effectively how harmful Allen could be operating the ball after witnessing it firsthand throughout their 30-21 loss to the Payments in Week 11. Allen led the Payments in speeding with 55 yards on 12 carries, together with the game-sealing landing run on fourth-and-2 late within the fourth quarter.
With that in thoughts, McDuffie understands the significance of his position in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, which emphasizes contributions from the secondary in stopping the run. Allen has a bigger bodily profile than most quarterbacks, so taking him down will demand a collective effort from the Chiefs’ protection.
“This protection and (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s) philosophy is concerning the DBs and corners setting edges coming into the run recreation,” McDuffie defined. “I feel this week is one other a type of video games the place everyone is required. When he’s scrambling, DBs acquired to plaster on the again finish to verify your receiver shouldn’t be operating down the sector. When he does tuck it and run, you must come up and make a deal with within the open area.
“Doing issues that coach Spags would name ‘My job plus.’ Doing all of your job whereas additionally ensuring that if any person else messes up or if there’s a possibility so that you can do your job and make a play, to do these issues as a result of that is the second for it.”
