Few individuals are more qualified to speak about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes than All-Pro nickel defender Taron Johnson.
The Buffalo defensive back has shared a locker room with Allen throughout his entire professional career, as both are members of the Bills’ borderline-historic 2018 draft class. He’s watched the quarterback develop from an immensely talented, but raw ball-of-clay into one of the league’s most dynamic players over the past seven years as he himself has evolved into one of the best nickel cornerbacks in football.
An ever-present thorn in Buffalo’s side, Johnson is also no stranger to facing off against the Chiefs and Mahomes, playing against Kansas City on seven different occasions throughout his professional career. He’s played well against the conference foe, recording 53 tackles and five pass deflections throughout the matchups; he even tallied a game-clinching on Mahomes in the Bills’ 2022 regular season win over the Chiefs.
Allen and Mahomes will again face off this weekend in a hotly anticipated Week 11 clash, with the eyes of the football world focused solely on Orchard Park for the latest iteration of this generation’s premier quarterback battle. Johnson gave fans some insight into what to expect during his Wednesday media availability, telling reporters about the overlaps in Allen and Mahomes’ games.
“Honestly, they’re very similar, you know what I’m saying?” Johnson said. “Obviously they can make, both quarterbacks can make any throw, but also they can extend plays, and that’s, as you can see, it’s very hard on defenses. They’re both hard to get down, both have running ability, can get out of the pocket and make plays with their feet. It’s a lot of similarities there,you know what I’m saying? And I think that’s what makes them so effective.”
Buffalo vs. Kansas City bouts are, more often than not, uber-exciting affairs that come down to the wire thanks to the presence of Allen and Mahomes, with this Sunday’s clash figuring to be no different. The Bills and Chiefs enter the clash as the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds in the AFC, respectively, with Kansas City currently boasting a perfect 9-0 record. Buffalo will look to put the first blemish on the Chiefs’ record and lessen the gap between them in the standings this weekend; perhaps Johnson, who is coming off a Week 10 outing in which he recorded his third-career pick-six, will again play a pivotal role in the outcome.
This article first appeared on Buffalo Bills on SI and was syndicated with permission.
