The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs will meet in the postseason for the third time in four years on Sunday. It is the first time in the Patrick Mahomes-Josh Allen era that the playoff game is not at Arrowhead, which could prove to make all the difference.
A brief history
Overall, the Chiefs lead in their playoff matchup against the Bills, 3-2. Their first postseason matchup was in 1966 for the AFL title. Kansas City won and went on to the Super Bowl to play Green Bay, where the Packers ultimately won, 35-10.
The 1990s were rough if you were a Bills fan. They went to the Super Bowl four years in a row (‘90, ‘91, ‘92 and ‘93) and met the Chiefs twice along the way.
In the ‘91, the Bills won the AFC Divisional game, 37-14. After winning, they went on to beat the Broncos and go to the Super Bowl, but lost to Washington. In 1993, Buffalo beat Kansas City again in the AFC Championship Game, but lost to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.
During this era, both teams had a lot of future Hall of Famers on their rosters, including Buffalo QB Jim Kelly, RB Thurman Thomas and Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas and QB Joe Montana.
After some long-standing playoff droughts for both teams, they finally met again almost 30 years later. The 2020 AFC Championship Game was the first time Allen and Mahomes met in the postseason, and was Allen’s first playoff loss. The Chiefs went to the Super Bowl, only to be trounced by a then spry 43-year-old Tom Brady. The following season, Mahomes beat Allen and the Bills in the AFC Divisional game in overtime, but lost in the AFC championship to Cincinnati.
This year’s matchup
The Bills and the Chiefs will be playing at Buffalo, Mahomes’ first away playoff game. The Bills are the No. 2 seed and the Chiefs are No. 3. While both teams won their opening-round games with relative ease, this game will not be that. It’s never an easy win when these teams play each other. Going to Buffalo is kind of like going to the Thunderdome if it was covered in two feet of snow, littered with broken tailgating tables from people jumping through them and had the smell of Bud Lite hanging in the air.
It is Josh Allen (and the Bills) time
Out of all the quarterbacks in the playoffs, Allen has the most to prove. The only way to beat your demons is to go through them, and his biggest demon is Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Buffalo won its last six games of the regular season, including a win over the Chiefs. The Bills offense has been hot while the Chiefs’ offense struggles to catch the ball, makes dumb mistakes and has unnecessary turnovers.
Allen also plays like a freak, (in a good way). Look at his 52-yard run to the end zone last game if you need to double check his talents, which was the second longest rushing TD by a QB in a playoff game.
Mahomes is 38-11 on the road in his career, and 1-0 in Buffalo. But that was in an empty stadium during the pandemic. He has talked about how when stadiums get loud and his teammates can’t hear him, and how he adjusts to that problem, and we all know the Bills Mafia can get rowdy.
Offensively, the Bills can outplay the Chiefs. Defensively is a different story. The Chiefs total defense is second in the league. They always seem to have a read on Allen, whether they go with a blitz and pressure him or give him some time and space to pass or run, they don’t let him ever get comfortable. Still, it is possible for Allen and the Bills to will their way into the AFC Championship Game, and potentially to their first Super Bowl victory.
They just have to take down the Chiefs. Mahomes has had his moment, it might be time for Allen and the people of Buffalo to have theirs.
