To fans, the Buffalo Bills’ 38-20 domination of the Kansas City Chiefs felt like more than just another regular season win. This was the team that knocked the Bills off in the AFC title game, after all.
To players, it sure felt special, too.
On Episode 2 of the The Isaiah McKenzie, we relive the Buffalo win — from the weather delay to the budding Chiefs rivalry to Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes. McKenzie signed with the Bills in 2018, so he’s seen Allen’s maturation up close. What may surprise you is that he had no clue who Allen even was upon arriving in Western New York.
The receiver explains just how much his quarterback has grown since that rookie year.
And, big picture, Sunday night’s result is giving the 2021 Bills a ton of confidence.
“We know — we know — that we have to beat them,” McKenzie said on this week’s episode, “to show not only just them, but the world, that we come to play this game to win this game to show you that we’re not just any Buffalo Bills team. We’re not just a Buffalo Bills team that’s around to make it to the AFC Championship Game or have potential to make the playoffs every year now. We’re trying to win something bigger than that.
“The Chiefs, last year and the year before, were the standard. Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill. Travis Kelce. I can go down the line. Tyrann Mathieu. They were the standard. Those guys had been winning. In order to beat them, you have to find winners that want to beat them.
“We’re trying to win and we know we have to go through them.”
There’s X ‘n O talk on how his jet sweep action helps fuel this offense as well as the roots of his fearlessness as a returner — McKenzie once suffered a concussion back in high school that knocked him out.
We give McKenzie a chance to elaborate on his Notre Dame decomittment. Our clip from last week, nearing 200K views, seemed to trigger the Fighting Irish a bit. (Yes, McKenzie was told he couldn’t have, uh, sexual relations on campus.)
With Georgia ranked No. 1 in the nation, we also look back to McKenzie’s college days, his relationship with Kirby Smart and how dangerous he was at wide receiver. Mel Kiper Jr. once compared his game to Antonio Brown.
Finally, we received some fantastic questions from subscribers, including one on Sean McDermott. McKenzie takes it upon himself to loosen his head coach up around One Bills Drive.
Thank you everyone for listening and watching this new show at Go Long and feel free to share episodes with a friend. All air right here at GoLongTD.com, as well as Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
Live nearby? Hang out with us in real life. Five of these 10 episodes are held at Mister’s Bar and Lanes in East Aurora, N.Y., with the next show slated for Monday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. (EST). Go Long subscribers get first dibs on a table — and they go fast! — so be sure to reserve your table today and note in the Open Table comment section that you’re a paid subscriber with your email address to confirm.
The remaining live show dates are below:
Monday, Oct. 25 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Monday, Nov. 1 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Monday, Nov. 22 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Monday, Jan. 3 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Past episodes of The Isaiah McKenzie Show:
Ep 1: From Miami Gardens to Orchard Park
Isaiah McKenzie Show, Ep 2: Inside the Bills' demolition at Arrowhead