State of the Bills defense reflects an upcoming transition - ESPN

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The moments don't get much bigger than this.

A chance to host the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs after losing at Arrowhead Stadium in consecutive postseasons (2020 and 2021) is here for the Buffalo Bills. The significance can't be overstated. The phrase «13 seconds» needs no context amongst Bills Mafia.

Sunday's game (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS) is an opportunity to put that 2021 game fully in the rearview mirror, for the defense to prove it can stop quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the postseason and advance to the AFC Championship for only the second time since 1993.

To come away with a win, the Bills must continue to work around missing pieces due to injury — a reality they've dealt with all season.

Only two defensive starters started all 17 games for the Bills — nickel corner Taron Johnson and middle linebacker Terrel Bernard. But Johnson and Bernard, two of the team's most consistent players, are questionable for Sunday because of injury. The team lost two key starters for the season in Weeks 4 and 5 — cornerback Tre'Davious White and 2022 first-team All-Pro outside linebacker Matt Milano.

«Not that I can recall,» assistant head coach and defensive line coach Eric Washington said when asked if he's seen a unit with more injuries. "… The coaches have done a really good job of making sure that everyone in our respective meeting rooms, everyone's plugged in.… it's also given us an opportunity to really identify the character that we have."

In yet another test during a season full of them, the banged-up Bills defense will have to stop Mahomes and the Chiefs ahead of significant decisions about the unit to be made in the offseason.

"[This defense is] very resilient. It's just something that's in their