In facing the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills are going to do their best to not make the occasion bigger than it already is.
Head coach Sean McDermott already dusted off his trademark line, “Control what we can control,” this week at his video conference.
Even so, the Bills (8-2) will have to deal with Travis Kelce when the Chiefs (9-0) come to town on Sunday.
Kelce’s reputation as one of the best playmakers in the NFL is deserved but if Buffalo is going to “control” him, plenty of that responsibility will involve plenty of Taron Johnson.
Johnson is well aware what it’s like to face Kelce having done so plenty of times in both the regular season and postseason.
“He’s such a smart player,” Johnson said. “He knows his angles, really good at leverage.”
“I feel like Patrick Mahomes is on the same page as him,” Johnson added. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing, how smart of a player [Kelce] is, how smart Patrick is.”
The Kansas City tight end averages 4.85 catches per outing against Buffalo and 62.8 yards. Worth noting, those numbers also include his early, not-as-productive years which predated Mahomes lining up as his QB.
Even so, those are still good numbers the Bills will want avoid giving up in Week 11.
For more from Johnson on defending Kelce, see the attached clip below: