Chiefs vs Bills inactives: Latest AFC Championship injury report and prediction

Is there a better quarterback rivalry in the NFL than that of Patrick Mahomes against Josh Allen? It really doesn't feel like there is. Mahomes is as dominant of a player as we've seen really ever in the NFL, but Allen is as close as anyone to dethroning him in the AFC. These two have gone to battle three times in the playoffs in the past, and there's no reason to believe that Sunday's matchup won't be as, or even more entertaining than the others.

Each team's goal on Sunday is rather simple. The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to win, giving them a chance to pull off the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era. The Buffalo Bills are trying to get over the hump at Arrowhead and advance to their first Super Bowl since 1993.

The good news for fans who will be tuned in on TV or at a frigid Arrowhead is that both of these teams are virtually fully healthy, giving this game the potential to be the game of the year. With that in mind, let's take a look at how the injury reports are looking ahead of this clash.

Kansas City Chiefs inactives list

Everyone that was listed on the Chiefs injury report throughout the week will play in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, which is what you ideally want to see in the postseason. So often, the healthiest team is the one that emerges as the Super Bowl favorite. Having said that, you can see some of the changes Kansas City has made throughout the year. Most notably, Wanya Morris, who was once the starter at left tackle, is now a healthy scratch, while trade deadline addition Josh Uche is inactive once again, a theme for the past month-plus.

The Chiefs went 15-2 during the regular season, earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye to start their quest for a three-peat. The best part of earning the AFC's No. 1 seed wasn't even automatically advancing past the Wild Card Round — it was giving their banged-up players an extra week of rest. Clearly, that worked wonders.

Several key players appeared on Kansas City's injury report earlier this week, but all four players dealing with something practiced fully on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and are good to go on Sunday.

If the Chiefs wind up getting upset at home, it won't be because of pre-existing injuries. That's for sure.

Buffalo Bills inactives list

Like Kansas City, Buffalo had several big names on its injury report earlier this week like Dion Dawkins, Matt Milano, and Dalton Kinkaid, but all three are active ahead of Sunday's game. Unfortunately, there are three players who are either ruled out or might not play.

Taylor Rapp, Buffalo's starting strong safety who had an interception in Buffalo's Divisional Round win over the Baltimore Ravens and recorded an interception against the Chiefs earlier this season, is out. This is a pretty big loss for Buffalo considering how he has stepped up in big games. There's a good chance rookie Cole Bishop will slot in as the team's starter in Rapp's place.

Outside of Rapp, though, the other inactives for the Bills in this AFC Championship Game were not injury-related and, instead, are all healthy scratches. While that certainly stinks for these players, it's good news for Buffalo overall. Despite the win over Baltimore in the Divisional Round, they were banged up quite a bit coming out of this contest. That could've been bad news against the Chiefs but, outside of Rapp, they're largely at full strength for this matchup.

Baylon Spector seemed to have a realistic shot of playing in this one as he practiced fully all week, but Buffalo opted not to activate him from IR and he was ruled out on Saturday.

Christian Benford, one of Buffalo's starting cornerbacks, might not play in this one due to his questionable designation. He's been in the concussion protocol throughout the week. Benford was unable to practice on Friday, but that was for personal reasons. He was practicing in a non-contact jersey for the rest of the week prior.

Chiefs vs. Bills prediction: Who has the edge after final injury report release?

In terms of who has the edge, is this even a question? Buffalo might be without two starters in its secondary against Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. On the flip side, Kansas City's injury report is as clean as it's been all season long.

Most of the country wants the Bills to win for the sake of parody, but who truly has the guts to pick them over the Chiefs on the road? The Chiefs have dominated everyone, particularly the Bills, in the playoffs, and an argument can even be made that the Bills are lucky to be playing in this game to begin with. If Mark Andrews didn't drop a ball he likely catches in his sleep, the Baltimore Ravens might've been Kansas City's opponent in this one.

This should be a thriller, but again, it's just hard to pick against the Chiefs this time of year, especially when they have the advantage on the injury front.

Prediction: Chiefs 30, Bills 27