KANSAS CITY http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/greg-little-jersey , Mo. (AP) — The two transactions that the Kansas City Chiefs made before the start of the season came with little fanfare, mostly because casual football fans probably had never heard of either of them.Jordan Lucas was drafted in the sixth round out of Penn State by the Dolphins, and had spent most of his career on their practice squad.But when it became evident in late August that Kansas City might need help at safety, general manager Brett Veach sent a seventh-round pick to Miami for him.Charvarius Ward went undrafted this past April, overlooked by every team several times. He signed with the Cowboys as a free agent, then was shipped the Chiefs for offensive lineman Parker Ehinger when Dallas decided it needed some help up front.Two players, acquired one day apart, just may have turned a shoddy Chiefs defense into one that could carry the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance since January 1970.Lucas and Ward became dependable pieces in the Chiefs’ defensive backfield the final two weeks of the regular season. And on Saturday, they helped shut down Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in a 31-13 victory that sent the franchise to its first AFC title game in 25 years.“I think some of the young guys are maturing right in front of our eyes,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose team will face the New England Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday.His defense had been seen as the biggest vulnerability all season, particularly as the Chiefs’ offense shattered all kinds of franchise records. The only games they lost came in shootouts against the Rams, Patriots and Seahawks — on all three occasions their defense giving up a boatload of points — and when Kansas City couldn’t stop Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter.It was after that game against the Chargers that Reid made a bold personnel move: He benched cornerback Orlando Scandrick and safety Ron Parker, a pair of veterans that had started all season, in favor of Lucas and Ware, a pair of relatively untested youngsters.They had some growing pains the following week in Seattle, but Reid stuck with them, and they showed significant growth the following week. The Chiefs shut down Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders in a Week 17 victory that they needed to wrap up the AFC West and No. 1 seed.Their growth continued in leaps and bounds against the Colts.Ward was picked on early and came up with several big breakups, and Lucas patrolled the middle of the field like a savvy center fielder. Together, they helped the Chiefs hold Luck to 203 yards passing Will Grier Jersey , and kept Indianapolis from scoring an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.“At the end of the day, this is something we love to do, something we get paid to do,” Lucas said afterward, “so we have to go out there and give Chiefs Kingdome something we haven’t had in 25 years, and it’s special. We’re just looking to keep building.”It’s particularly special given the alternative.Lucas came from a Dolphins team that went 7-9, missed the playoffs and fired its coach, while Ward joined from a Cowboys team that was bounced from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.Neither could have imagined playing for an AFC title with the Chiefs back in August.“Just a crazy experience,” Lucas said. “Coming from Miami here, it’s just a blessing.”It’s been a blessing for the Chiefs, too.Part of the reason their defense has struggled all season is the fact that Eric Berry, their star safety and emotional leader, has been sidelined with a heel injury. Berry tried to come back late in the season, only for the injury to flare up again, and was inactive against the Colts.Lucas has filled in admirably alongside fellow safety Daniel Sorensen.The improved play by the Chiefs’ defensive backfield the past few weeks has paid dividends up front, too, allowing defensive tackle Chris Jones and linebackers Justin Houston and Dee Ford to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Houston had a pair of sacks and Ford had a strip-sack Saturday, and Jones applied enough pressure up the middle to flush Luck from the pocket on several occasions.When asked what has changed, Ford replied: “Time. Persistence.”“We had a lot of new faces and we just kept working,” he added. “Kind of filled in the gaps as we went along and guys stepped up and sort of understanding the defense. We just kept stepping up.”Now http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/christian-miller-jersey , the Chiefs have to step up one more time to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.“Very exciting. This is what we need as a team. This is what we work for,” Ford said. “We just want to keep this thing rolling. Enjoy it now but keep it rolling.” MINNEAPOLIS — Kirk Cousins delivered for the Minnesota Vikings the type of performance expected from, and demanded by, his big contract.Passing for 219 yards and three touchdowns over the fourth quarter and overtime at Green Bay, Cousins guided the Vikings back from a 13-point deficit to forge a tie with the Packers despite an interception and many other mistakes by the rest of the team.Given this was his first NFC North game and first on the road against Minnesota’s primary rival, there was a statement made that afternoon at Lambeau Field.More Vikings coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Rookie Bradbury is central figure to Vikings’ overhauled offensive lineVikings depth at cornerback being tested, Hughes still not clearedPlayers to watch at Minnesota Vikings 2019 training campTop Tweets: Vikings WR Diggs makes push for All-NFL Style Team“I’ve seen Kirk do those things before, so it just solidified what type of leader he is,” offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said. “You’re never out of the game.”The Vikings (1-0-1) are fifth in the NFL in total yards, entering Sunday against winless Buffalo. Cousins, however, was quick to point out the Vikings had only seven points through three quarters at Green Bay.“We’d love to be more explosive throughout the game as opposed to more concentrated to late in the game,” Cousins said. “We want to be an offense that can strike at any time, but also be a threat from the first quarter all the way through the last.”The Bills have a long way to go to get there, having handed their quarterback job to rookie Josh Allen during their blowout loss at Baltimore in the opener. The seventh overall pick in the draft showed some progress last week, but with an unsettled offensive line and a lack of game-breaking receivers, this season figures to be a steep learning curve for Allen.“All these trials and tribulations that I’m going to go through my rookie year,” he said, “are only going to help in the long run.”Here are some other key angles to follow for the Bills-Vikings game:MAKING THE CALLThe Bills were outscored 75-9 over their first six quarters until making modest improvement in the second half last week. What changed? Well, coach Sean McDermott took over the play-calling duty from defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier Jordan Scarlett Jersey , his long-time friend and mentor. They will collaborate now.“We’re going to do what we feel we need to do in games, and improve,” McDermott said, “and we look in every corner to improve.”The Chargers had 284 yards, 17 first downs and 28 points in the first half, then just 65 yards, four first downs and three points in the second half.“That’s something that we can build on this week going in, just having the confidence of knowing we can stop teams from scoring,” said Tre’Davious White, one of only three healthy cornerbacks on the roster following the retirement of Vontae Davis and injuries to Phillip Gaines and Taron Johnson.6<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Vikings' Diggs mystifies Packers' secondary in Green BayFAMILIAR FACEFrazier took the adjustment in stride. He first began coaching with McDermott in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles.“We owe it to our players to give us the best chance to win, whatever it may be,” Frazier said, “and so that’s how I looked at it.”Frazier, of course, was the head coach for the Vikings for three-plus seasons after serving as defensive coordinator prior to that. This will be his first return to Minnesota for a regular-season game since his firing after the 2013 season.“Just a lot of good relationships back in Minnesota, a lot of fond memories,” Frazier said.BAILEY’S DEBUTIf and when Dan Bailey makes his first field goal on Sunday, the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium will undoubtedly roar with an undertone of sarcasm after those three wide rights by now-discarded rookie Daniel Carlson against the Packers.Kicking trouble has hounded the Vikings throughout Mike Zimmer’s reign as head coach since 2014, so they were relieved that a player with Bailey’s accomplishment and experience was available this week .The Bills have had more stability lately with Stephen Hauschka, who ranks fourth on the NFL’s all-time field goal accuracy list . Bailey is second. Hauschka Greedy Williams Jersey , who was in training camp with the Vikings as a rookie in 2008, is 33 for 38 on field goal tries in 19 games with the Bills and has converted all 31 extra point attempts.“We are fortunate. Hauschka is very steady and a veteran who has kicked in big games,” McDermott said. “That was part of the reason why we picked him up.”MCCOY HURTINGThe Bills ranked sixth in the league last year in rushing yards, on the strength of a second straight 1,000-yard season by LeSean McCoy, but Bills running backs have only 108 yards on 31 attempts through two games. This has been a rough season so far for McCoy. He’s been working through a rib cartilage injury this week, when he was also named in a second case of alleged abuse brought forth by a former girlfriend .Minnesota’s defense is not an ideal opponent against which to get on track.“They’re a good team. It’s a challenge. If I’m good enough, I’ll go out there and compete,” McCoy said.NOT SO SPECIALVikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer has been under pressure for more than just the place-kicking problems. The Packers blocked Matt Wile‘s punt and turned it into a touchdown last week, the most glaring mistake that wasn’t a missed field goal.“We’re going to have to clean it up,” Zimmer said.VIKINGS-BILLS CAPSULESunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBSOPENING LINE – Vikings by 16RECORD VS. SPREAD – Buffalo 0-2, Minnesota 1-1SERIES RECORD – Vikings lead 8-5LAST MEETING – Bills beat Vikings 17-16, Oct. 19, 2014LAST WEEK – Bills lost to Chargers 31-20; Vikings tied Packers 29-29AP PRO32 RANKING – Bills No. 32, Vikings No. 3BILLS OFFENSE – OVERALL (31), RUSH (25T), PASS (31)BILLS DEFENSE – OVERALL (18), RUSH (22) http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/justice-hill-jersey-authentic , PASS (16)VIKINGS OFFENSE – OVERALL (5), RUSH (22), PASS (5)VIKINGS DEFENSE – OVERALL (14), RUSH (13), PASS (15)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Bills beat Vikings in Buffalo in 2014 on TD pass from Kyle Orton to Sammy Watkins with 1 second left during first season with Minnesota for Mike Zimmer as head coach and Teddy Bridgewater as QB. In 59 regular season games since that last meeting, Bills and Vikings have each sent out five more QBs for at least one start. … Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier held same job with Vikings from 2007-10 before being promoted to head coach until firing after 2013 season. … Bills haven’t started 0-3 since 2010. … Bills QB Josh Allen makes first career road start. Last time Bills finished with winning record on road was 1999. … Bills have allowed 11 sacks, second most in league. … Vikings have won 10 of last 11 games, including playoffs, at home while allowing NFL-low average of 13.6 points per game. … Vikings WR Stefon Diggs has six TD catches and at least one in last five regular-season games, fifth-longest streak in team history. Randy Moss (10) has record, from 2003-04. … Dan Bailey makes debut as kicker for Vikings, who cut rookie Daniel Carlson this week. Fantasy tip: Vikings’ defense is must play at home against rookie Allen and Bills’ sputtering offense. Bills tied for most rushing TDs allowed (four) in league, so Vikings backup RB Latavius Murray could be worth start. In 10 games including playoffs for Minnesota at home, Murray has seven rushing TDs.