January 21st, 2024, will be a day many Buffalo Bills fans will remember forever. The Bills hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round for the first time in their last three playoff matchups.
The previous two postseason games between the Bills and Chiefs were played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Chiefs defeated the Bills in the 2019 and 2021 seasons. This time, the game was supposed to be different as it took place in Buffalo.
Bills Lose To Chiefs In 2023 Postseason
Heading into the game, many factors favored the Bills, notably that Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes had never played in a road playoff game.
Mahomes had gone to three Super Bowls but always had home-field advantage in the playoffs. A road playoff game was unfamiliar for Mahomes and the Chiefs, and it was time for the Bills to shine.
Buffalo and Kansas City played a classic game, battling for all four quarters. The contest game down to the last 1:47 seconds with the Bills trailing 27-24. Buffalo had the ball on their 27-yard line, and kicker Tyler Bass came on to attempt a 44-yard field goal to tie the game.
Bass ended up pushing the kick wide right, ending any hopes of Buffalo beating Kansas City. The Chiefs got their third playoff win over the Bills in the last four seasons, then went on to win their second Super Bowl in a row.
Sadly, the Bills’ luck with the Chiefs didn’t end well this past season because they fell again in the playoffs, in Arrowhead.
With all the attention on 2025, the Bills are ready to avenge their last four postseason losses to the Chiefs.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is eager to face Kansas City again in January to prove he can beat Mahomes. Similarly, kicker Tyler Bass looks forward to another chance to make a game-winning postseason kick against the Chiefs.
Allen will be in full uniform, but Bass may not be ready. The 28-year-old kicker has excelled for five years, but reports indicate he’s not having a good camp.
Tyler Bass Struggling At Camp
According to RB Hayek from ClutchPoints, Bass is one of the few Bills players “struggling” through the first week of camp.
“This was the story last season, too. Well, it’s happening again. Tyler Bass is not having a good NFL training camp. Moreover, the rain decided to drench him. With the 2025 NFL season around the corner, this is something the Bills must look at,” Hayek wrote.”Bass went 4-for-8 on field-goal attempts in the rain. While it is not always going to rain on him, that is a cause for concern. The Bills play in Orchard Park, and often get the worst weather imaginable in the winter months.”
“There will be a time when they need Bass to make an important kick. If he cannot kick well in the rain, how will he do in the snow? It might be an overreaction here. Yes, Bills fans have seen Bass make amazing kicks in all kinds of weather. But Bass has done well in the past in temperatures under 40 degrees,” Hayek added. “However, he has not been completely immune to it. Bass had a 92 percent overall rate on extra points, and some of that had a lot to do with the cold weather. For now, this is not something to get too worked up about.”
If Bass continues to struggle, then the Bills could move on from him.
The NFL comes down to game-winning and missed kicks every week. Buffalo can’t have a struggling kicker trying to work out any problems, which could cause them to lose close games.
The Bass situation will be something to monitor throughout camp and see how he improves through the rest of the preseason.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills’ Almost Postseason Hero Is ‘Struggling’ At Training Camp appeared first on Heavy Sports.