The Buffalo Bills will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a hugely-anticipated divisional round showdown in the AFC playoffs. The winner will move on to the conference championship game in two weeks, and Buffalo is the slight betting favorite to reach that stage of the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.
Josh Allen and the Bills are hoping to secure their second consecutive win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in what is becoming one of the NFL’s best quarterback rivalries. Buffalo has been unfortunate in that its past two playoff meetings with Kansas City both took place at Arrowhead Stadium — but this time, the Bills will play the host at Highmark Stadium, and that has given the always-confident Allen reason to stick out his neck.
Allen: We’ve finally got a home game
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Allen sent a message to the Chiefs about what is awaiting them in western New York on Sunday night. “They’ve gotten the best of us in the playoffs the last few years, we finally got a home game, and we’ve got to go out there and put our best foot forward and play as best as we can play,” Allen said.
Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen has quickly become the best QB rivalry in the league and it’s not hard to see why.
The two are 3-3 head-to-head and about to meet in the postseason for the third time in the last four years. (THREAD) pic.twitter.com/HA1q7e4ACO
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2024
The Chiefs have halted the Bills’ playoff run twice in the past three seasons. Kansas City defeated Buffalo to win the 2021 AFC Championship Game 38-24 at Arrowhead before the two teams matched up in an overtime classic in the 2022 divisional round. Harrison Butker kicked a game-tying field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter before Mahomes engineered a game-winning touchdown drive — completing it with a pass to Travis Kelce — in overtime to cap a 42-36 victory. But this time, the Chiefs faithful will largely be back in Kansas City, leaving Mahomes at the mercy of the “Bills Mafia.”
Allen steamrolls into the divisional round
The 2023 campaign has not been the most consistent for Allen, but he has led Buffalo to six consecutive wins and is coming off an impressive performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Super Wild Card Weekend. Allen accounted for 277 total yards against the Steelers and was responsible for all four of the Bills’ touchdowns in the 31-17 win — including a 52-yard scamper for six points midway through the second quarter that expanded Buffalo’s lead to 21-0.
Joe Brady on Josh Allen’s 52-yard TD run: “I think when you try to hold Josh Allen back, you’re probably doing a disservice.”
— katherine fitzgerald (@kfitz134) January 18, 2024
Mahomes also played well in the Chiefs’ opening playoff game against the Miami Dolphins. Amidst inhospitable cold at Arrowhead, Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a touchdown — avoiding an interception for just the second time since the start of December — to lead Kansas City to a 26-7 win.
