Cornerback Levi Wallace was particularly uninterested in his impending offseason as a banned free agent, after the Buffalo Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38–24 in last season's AFC Championship Game.
The Alabama alumnus wanted to return to Buffalo to score another victory, which the Bills needed to reach the Super Bowl.
“I wanted to come back and have the opportunity to win the Super Bowl,” Wallace said on Thursday, “knowing we had to do the same thing, knowing that it would be just as hard to get back in this position, back in the playoffs.
"I'm not going to say that not winning the Super Bowl would be disappointing because we're not there yet. We have Kansas City, and it's one game at a time. It's a big challenge for us, the best teams in the AFC. One of. We look forward to the challenge like last year. We came up short, so it's definitely a little more motivating, especially for me knowing it's going to be one of those games - win Or go home."
Bills against chiefs will be closed at 5:30 pm. CST Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. CBS will broadcast the game.
This time around, the teams meet in a divisional round, with the winner advancing to the AFC's place in Super Bowl LVI to play the Cincinnati Bengals on January 30.
Buffalo brought Wallace back for a year, $1.75 million, allowing him to resume his role as an all-field cornerback from a pro bowler, Tre'Davius White, in the 2019 and 2020 seasons .
But Wallace has been the Bills' No. 1 cornerback since Thanksgiving. That's when White went down for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"I can tell you we missed Trey," said Buffalo coach Sean McDermott. "Dane (Jackson) and Levy have done a tremendous job, and I think overall the guys have come together as a team and played a good team defense in Trey's absence. ...
"I think Levy has taken up the challenge with the whole secondary and accepted that challenge. It's never about one man, whether it's Trey or Levi. I think it's the whole team, the overall unit, In this case it is about defence, so we have to continue playing like that in Trey's absence and even take our game to another level.
Even with White missing the final six games of the regular season, the Buffalo defense still scored the fewest points and fewest yards left in the NFL in 2021.
The Bills started the playoffs last week with a 47-17 win over the New England Patriots in a Super Wild-card Weekend game. Wallace made five tackles and intercepted a pass in Buffalo's win.
"It goes back to the game plan and just hinges on our fundamentals and trust in each other," Wallace said. "I guess that's what it boils down to. I guess that's what's held us together ever since Tre'Davious got hurt. ...
"I think the standard is the standard with and without him. I feel like it's been like this all year round, no matter who gets hurt, who's out for the game, who's out for the game. The standard We work hard to make our starters as well as our backups sound. Everyone has a game plan. No hiccups. No mistakes. Everyone is still playing at a high level. When That's just the standard when you come to play Buffalo football."
As he moved from walk-on to starter in Alabama, Wallace went from an undrafted player who was stuck in the practice squad to start his last 56 appearances for Buffalo in 2018.
In the Bills' loss to Kansas City in last year's season, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, including wide receiver Tyrek Hill nine passes for 172 yards and tight end Travis Kelce for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Caught 13 passes for two. Touchdown.
Wallace said the bills would not only have to cover Sunday well, they would also have to be dealt with well, especially on Hill.
"I think Mahomes is relying a little bit more on his guys, just throwing a little checkdown and watching his players break tackles and get those yards after catch," Wallace said. "It's extremely important, as it happens every week, to go out there and do a good job and take great angles. You can see, especially on field 10, how he takes people's angles. But what's different from watching him on the field is how quick and explosive he is. Just getting guys on the ball and taking great angles is definitely important this week.”