Former Buffalo Bills players playing in the AFC and NFC Championship games in 2019.
The Buffalo Bills unfortunately won’t be suiting up this weekend as the Super Bowl participants will be decided via Championship weekend in the NFL.
In the AFC, it’ll either be the Titans or Chiefs. The NFC has the Packers and 49ers squaring off.
But there are a few familiar faces that will get their chance to play in the Big Game in a few weeks.
Here’s a team-by-team rundown of former Bills players getting after it this weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl:
49ers
WR Jordan Matthews
Jordan Matthews #87 of the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Jordan Matthews was acquired by the Bills via a trade with the Eagles in 2017, playing one season in Buffalo. Matthews signed with the 49ers in March 2019, was a final cut in training camp, he then re-signed by the Eagles in November, cut a few weeks later, then re-signed with the 49ers in December. He’s been inactive.
2019 stats: 3 games played, four catches, 33 yards.
The Bills’ third-round pick in 2013 signed with the 49ers in 2017 after his rookie contract in Buffalo expired. Goodwin won’t be playing in the NFC Championship, though. Goodwin is the the 49ers’ injured reserve list due to knee and foot injuries.
Perhaps you’re looking for a team that has no former Bills players to root for because you’re sick of guys leaving Buffalo and getting that title? You’ll be saying “go pack go” this weekend then. Unless you remember some coaches…
In 2013, the Bills had Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator until 2014. A lot of Hackett’s career coincided with former Bills head coach Doug Marrone. The two were together at the University of Syracuse and Marrone hired him with the Bills. Then when Marrone left Buffalo and went to the Jaguars, he helped Hackett come on over as well, first as the QBs coach then OC from 2016-2018. Hackett was fired there and when offensive guru Matt LaFleur was hired in Green Bay prior to the 2019 season, he added Hackett as his OC.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
While with the Bills, like many offensive coordinators, you need someone to blame… so Hackett wasn’t very popular. On the other hand. Mike Pettine, who was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator in 2013, was popular. So much so that he landed as the Browns head coach in 2014. After being fired in 2015, Pettine’s next NFL job was in 2018, with the Packers, where he still is.
Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for the AFC & NFC Championship Weekend of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for the AFC & NFC Championship Weekend of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
QUARTERBACKS
PATRICK MAHOMES- $7700 DRAFTKINGS, $9500 FANDUEL
Patrick Mahomes is coming off monster game versus the Texans and is the clear top choice at Quarterback on this slate. He will be high owned but with a two-game slate it’s all about securing the top scorer here. Mahomes is averaging 23 points per game on the season and should be in for 25+ points in a home matchup versus the Titans. The Titans rank 28th vs opposing quarterbacks and without much of a run game, we should see most of the scoring through the air for the Chiefs. My lean on this slate is to target the Chiefs vs Titans game as much as possible as I think there will be 14-21 more points scored in this one.
RYAN TANNEHILL- $5500 DRAFTKINGS, $7700 FANDUEL
Tannehill and the Titans will have to pass to stay in this game. The man has been shockingly great since he has taken over the starting role. These Titans have been everyone’s bandwagon team after their glorious run to make the playoffs and shocking back to back upsets they have pulled off. I personally think they cover the spread and make this game interesting. Tannehill is averaging 19 points per game and has a nice matchup versus the Chiefs who rank 23rd vs opposing quarterbacks. For every 2 lineups I make with Mahomes I will own 1 share of Tannehill.
RUNNING BACKS
DERRICK HENRY- $8700 DRAFTKINGS, $9800 FANDUEL
Henry just can’t be stopped. The opposing defenses he has been facing know he is getting the ball and they can’t do anything about it. When he gets stopped at the line he finds a way to fall forward for 3-4 yards. Then he has the speed to break monster runs and the strength to stiff-arm opponents on his way to the end zone. This offense is running through the big man and he should be locked in all of your lineups. He is averaging 22 points per game and has been in the 30’s in most of his recent games. The Chiefs rank 24th vs opposing running backs and this is an obvious spot to lock Henry unless you can predict injuries or want to fade him on purely an ownership perspective. I would fade Henry in 1 of every 8 lineups I make just to be different from the field.
DAMIEN WILLIAMS- $7000 DRAFTKINGS, $7600 FANDUEL
Williams has secured his role as the every-down back for the Chiefs. He got all the goal-line work last week and is coming off a 3 touchdown game. Like I stated above I will be targeting most of my pieces from this game and want to secure the points through the ground and air from the Chiefs side. Williams is averaging 14 points per game and should provide a safe floor this weekend. The Titans rank 18th vs opposing running backs and I will be happy with a touchdown and combined 85 yards out of Williams as my RB2.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DEEBO SAMUEL- $5500 DRAFTKINGS, $6300 FANDUEL
I preached to pay up at quarterback and running back so I need to find us some value at the receiver position. I’m looking for upside and low ownership and Deebo provides that. The man is involved in the run game and is one of the most targeted 49er when they decide to pass the ball. This game should be higher scoring than last week’s affair with the Vikings so I predict Samuel to have a better game this week. He is averaging 12 points per game on the season and has a nice matchup against the Packers who rank 16th vs opposing wide receivers.
SAMMY WATKINS- $4600 DRAFTKINGS, $5200 FANDUEL
You know it’s a short slate and I’m digging for value when I mention the name Sammy Watkins. But we need value and upside, and Watkins provides that on this slate. He is the number 2 receiver on this Chiefs team and he can provide a long touchdown at any time. This is not a safe play by any means but on a two-game slate I will take Watkins who is averaging 10 points per game on the season. The Titans rank 18th vs opposing wide receivers so let’s hope Watkins takes advantage of that and secures a long touchdown on Sunday.
TIGHT ENDS
TRAVIS KELCE- $7100 DRAFTKINGS, $7800 FANDUEL
If I can afford it I plan to pay up for safety at the tight end position on this slate and lock up my 15+ points and hope the upside comes. For the same reasons I like Mahomes above, Kelce makes for a great stack. The Titans have trouble defending the pass and specifically covering the tight end where they rank 25th against the position. On a two-game slate its slim pickings at tight end, so play it safe and get cute elsewhere.
JONNU SMITH- $3400 DRAFTKINGS, $5600 FANDUEL
We need value on this slate and as long as Kelce doesn’t have a repeat performance Jonnu Smith should be a safe play at his price. He made a remarkable catch versus the Ravens last week and gets a dream matchup this week. Even if I pay up for Kelce at tight end I don’t mind playing Smith in my flex position for a great value. The Chiefs are towards the bottom of the league defending the tight end and rank 28th so lock in Smith for one of the best point per dollar option on the slate.
DEFENSES
49ERS- $3200 DRAFTKINGS, $4600 FANDUEL
The 49ers defense looked unstoppable last game versus the Vikings. The held the Vikings to 7 first downs the entire game, 0 first downs via the rush, and held them to 0 first downs over a 27-minute span of the game. Keep it simple and play the 49ers at home. I know Aaron Rodgers is on the other side of the ball and he wants to stick it to the Niners for not drafting him but this defense is too good and Rodgers doesn’t have enough weapons beside him.
PACKERS- $2700 DRAFTKINGS, $4000 FANDUEL
The Packers are my value defense at almost minimum price on both sites. The Packers are my default value defense because I’m staying away from the Chiefs vs Titans game. Add the fact they are facing off against the unproven playoff arm of Jimmy G and we have some nice upside at the price so click the button and hope for the best. Jimmy will make a mistake or two and hopefully the Packers defense can do some damage.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.
The Bears were embarrassed in all facets of the game by the Chiefs on Sunday night. But there are five things that really stand out.
The final game at Soldier Field for the 2019 season was a lot like the first back in September. The offense only put up three points, penalty flags rained all over the field and the fans showered the team with boos throughout the whole game as the Chicago Bears lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 26-3, dropping them to 7-8 with one final game to go in arguably the most disappointing season this decade.
The Chiefs were able to stifle the Bears offense and the defense was able to slow down quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but they couldn’t stop him. Here are my takeaways from Sunday night’s embarrassing loss.
1. The entire offense was abysmal
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Chicago Bears offense didn’t exactly set the field on fire. For the third time this season, the Bears were held to single digits on the scoreboard. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky missed throws, his receivers dropped his passes when they were on target and the playcalling was suspect once again.
It’s the 10th time this season the offense has failed to score a touchdown in the first half, as well as being held to under 300 yards for the entire game. Everyone is to blame for the lack of production, but one player still looms large…
During the NFL’s Week 14 slate, the Kansas City Chiefs topped the Patriots in New England, 23-16.
During the NFL’s Week 14 slate, the Kansas City Chiefs topped the Patriots in New England, 23-16.
The battle, which involved some controversial calls that went against the Patriots, saw two former players with ties to the Buffalo Bills got into an interesting engagement. Those two were Sammy Watkins and Stephon Gilmore.
On one play during the contest, the receiver in Watkins, appear to block the defensive back in Gilmore of an extensive time. The two were locked up and carried their momentum into the sidelines where a scrum ensued.
Only the pair of former Bills first-round picks will truly know what was said, but neither appeared to be very happy about whatever happened on the play.
Speaking of which, here’s exactly what happened:
Sammy Watkins and Stephon Gilmore going at it. Former teammates in Buffalo.
How do the Kansas City Chiefs come away with a win against the Los Angeles in Week 11?
Monday night will be the biggest divisional game for the Chiefs in a long time.
This season has been bumpier than expected for Kansas City, but there is still plenty to be optimistic about. The Chiefs will play in Mexico City with all five starting offensive linemen for the first time since Week 2, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is healthy again. The Chiefs defense, though still with issues, is an improved unit from 2018.
The 4-6 Los Angeles Chargers are fighting for their playoff lives. They have talent across the board, but injuries have ravaged their season like so many times before. Quarterback Philip Rivers also appears to be on his last legs and it is becoming more difficult for him to shoulder the load.
Here are the keys to a Chiefs victory before they head into their bye week:
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Improve red zone efficiency
The Chiefs’ offense is still an elite unit (No. 3 in the NFL), but the one area it is struggling in is scoring touchdowns in the red zone. Last season, the Chiefs scored red zone TDs 73 percent of the time, second-best in the NFL. This season they rank 26th, scoring TDs on just 47 percent of their trips to the red zone.
The Chiefs are settling for too many field goals, which is keeping their opponents in the game. With six games still to go, kicker Harrison Butker has already matched his number of field goal attempts from last season.
With Mahomes at QB and one of the best skill position groups in the NFL, there’s no reason for K.C. to be struggling to score TDs. The offensive line returning to full health might help.
