Bills hope to take advantage of hobbled Patrick Mahomes

The road the Kansas City Chiefs have taken in their attempt to return to the Super Bowl isn’t just cluttered with a Buffalo Bills team eager to get back to football’s biggest stage for the first time in 27 years.

It is also hindered by a hobbled quarterback dealing with multiple issues.

While the football world held its breath when Patrick Mahomes left the 15-2 Chiefs divisional playoff win over the Cleveland Browns last week after suffering a concussion, his first-quarter turf toe injury could pose the biggest challenge against the 15-3 Bills on Sunday in the AFC championship game.

Mahomes was cleared to return to practice Friday after passing the concussion protocol tests. By the time he met with the media, he said he was ready to go.

The turf toe injury, however, could continue to be a factor, though Mahomes said his toe improved throughout the week after a painful Monday following the win over the Browns.

“The next day was very sore, and every single day since then it’s gotten a lot better,” Mahomes said. “It’s stuff that you deal with being a football player. You deal with injuries. Luckily enough for me, this wasn’t as bad as it looked.”

Nevertheless, expect the Bills to test Mahomes’ ability to maneuver by generating pass pressure on him. That would be in contrast to Buffalo’s plan in the first meeting between the teams in October when they multilayered the back end of their defense with as many bodies as possible while resisting the urge to blitz Mahomes.

The plan worked, limiting Mahomes to 225 yards passing — his third-lowest total of the season — but it ultimately backfired, as the Chiefs countered with a heavy dose of run plays to chew up 245 yards rushing in a 26-17 win.

To mitigate a repeat rushing performance by the Chiefs and to force Mahomes to move around on a painful toe, expect the Bills to add a blitz element Sunday while a talented secondary that was ranked ninth in the NFL by Pro Football Focus protects the back end.

The goal is to put Mahomes in vulnerable positions throwing on the run while planting on an injured foot, a circumstance that could lead to an interception.

Any additional chance to put the ball in the hands of Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who oversaw the NFL’s second-highest scoring offense at 31.1 points per game, would be welcomed by Buffalo.

The Bills, buoyed by the addition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs in an offseason trade with the Minnesota Vikings, averaged the third-most passing yards in the NFL at 288.8 yards. And while Diggs made the biggest impact with 1,535 yards receiving, Cole Beasley added 967 yards on 82 receptions to provide a perfect offset to Diggs.

It’s a lethal passing attack the Bill must get rolling against the Chiefs.

A trip to the Super Bowl could depend on it.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.