A look back at Bills-Chiefs playoff rivalry with Allen, Mahomes set to square off again
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For the fourth time in the past five years, the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Super Bowl-starved Buffalo Bills in the NFL Playoffs.
Patrick Mahomes and and the Chiefs have gotten the better of Josh Allen and the Bills in each of their previous three playoff meetings dating back to 2020.
The fourth chapter in maybe the greatest rivalry in sports today will be written on Sunday when the two sides battle in the AFC Championship with a spot in next month's Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on the line.
Kansas City will look to advance to their fifth Super Bowl in the past six years (won in 2020, 2023 and 2024) while Buffalo will attempt to reach the title game for the first time since 1994, when they fell to the Dallas Cowboys for their historic fourth straight Super Bowl loss.
Let's take a look back at the previous playoff matchups between Allen's Bills and Mahomes' Chiefs.
2021 AFC Championship
Jan. 24, 2021 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City
Bills 24 Chiefs 38
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs
A year after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs hosted the Bills in the 2021 AFC Championship following a tremendous 14-2 regular season.
The Bills posted a strong 13-3 of their own as a 24-year-old Allen led Buffalo to their second straight playoff appearance in just his third NFL season. One of their three losses in the regular season came against the Chiefs in Week 6, 26-17, the first matchup between Allen and Mahomes.
Buffalo had plenty of confidence after home playoff wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens as western New York football fans were thrilled to be playing in their first AFC Championship since 1994 when they defeated the Chiefs 30-13 to advance to their fourth straight Super Bowl.
Still amid the COVID-19 pandemic, players and coaches wore masks on the sidelines and attendance was restricted to just under 17,000 (capacity 76,416) inside Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bills had a strong opening quarter, led by a Dawson Knox touchdown, to take an early 9-0 lead.
However, touchdowns from Mecole Hardman, Darrel Williams and Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the second quarter gave the Chiefs a 21-12 halftime lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Star tight end Travis Kelce caught two touchdowns from Mahomes in the second half and Tyreek Hill finished with 172 receiving yards as the Chiefs cruised to a 38-24 victory to advance to their second straight Super Bowl.
“It was just trusting each other. The best thing about this team is we believe in each other,” said Mahomes. “But the job’s not finished. We’re going to Tampa; we’re trying to run it back.”
Buffalo was red-hot coming into that AFC Championship, having won 11 of their previous 12 games since losing to the Chiefs earlier in the season.
“It stings to get this far,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “Sometimes the further you go, the harder it is to lose. It’s a learning experience for us as an organization.”
Allen threw went 28/48 with 287 passing yards alongside a pair of touchdowns and an interception.
Late in the game following a sack, Allen tossed the balls in the face of Chiefs defensive lineman Alex Okafor which resulted in a scuffle and multiple penalty flags.
“Obviously a lot of emotion,” Allen said. “Any time you don’t finish the season with a win, that’s the type of emotion you’re going to have. The way it ended doesn’t sit right with me with how chippy and ticky-tack it got. I’m disappointed in myself. I let my emotions get to me there. That’s not how you’re supposed to play football.”
The Chiefs were routed by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-9, for their only Super Bowl loss during their recent run of success.
2022 Divisional Playoffs
Jan. 23, 2022 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City
Bills 36 Chiefs 42 (OT)
Josh Allen
Almost a year to the day, the Chiefs and Bills would square off in another playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium, this time in the divisional round.
The contest was one of the best playoff games in recent memory and the most heartbreaking loss for Bills' fans since their string of four consecutive Super Bowl defeats in the 1990s.
Following their defeat in the 2021 AFC Championship, the Bills got a shred of revenge on the Chiefs earlier in the season with a 38-20 victory at Arrowhead in Week 5.
After dropping five of their next eight games following that victory over the Chiefs, the Bills won their final four games before hammering the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round and were feeling confident heading in their clash with Kansas City.
The Chiefs held a 26-21 advantage following a Harrison Butker field goal early in the fourth quarter before things got real interesting.
Buffalo took their first lead since the first quarter with 1:54 left in the game when Allen found Gabe Davis for his third touchdown of the game.
Less than a minute later the Chiefs were back leading 33-29 following a 64-yard touchdown pass Mahomes to Hill.
Allen then led the Bills right back down the field with a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped by 19-yard touchdown pass to Davis, his fourth TD reception of the game, which set a new playoff record.
Holding a 36-33 lead with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, Bills Mafia believed that game was secured. They would have probably been right if Mahomes, Kelce and Hill weren't on the other side.
Following a touchback, Mahomes found Hill for a 19-yard gain before nailing a 25-yard pass to Kelce to put the Chiefs on the Bills' 31-yard line. Butker made no mistake with his 49-yard field goal attempt, sending the thrilling game to overtime.
Kansas City won the coin toss before storming down the field on eight plays against a stunned and tired Buffalo defence with the final nail in the coffin being an eight-yard touchdown pass to Kelce.
42-36 Chiefs. Game over.
Allen and the Bills never got a chance with the ball under the overtime rules at the time.
“It worked out well for us this time,” said Mahomes. “When you have two teams going back and forth, it stinks when you don't get to see the other guy go. But all you can do is play the rules the way the rules are explained, and that's what we did.”
Allen threw for 329 yards, 201 of which were to Davis, who had the best of game of his career.
“It’s just tough, you know? To be in that moment again,” Allen said. “It sucks the way it happened, you know? We wanted to win that game. We had opportunities. Just, yeah, taking it all in, holding onto that feeling, and making sure we don’t feel like this again — back-to-back years in the same spot. It’s tough to take in.”
The game was dubbed "13 seconds" and spearheaded a change to overtime rules for the following postseason, giving each team to have at least one offensive possession
2024 Divisional Playoffs
Jan. 21, 2024 at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo
Bills 24 Chiefs 27
Tyler Bass Bills
Two years later, following another Chiefs' Super Bowl title, the two AFC powerhouses would square off again in the Divisional Playoffs, this time in Buffalo.
Both sides posted 11-6 regular season records, with the Bills winning their lone matchup, 20-17, just over a month earlier at Arrowhead.
The game also featured plenty of star power in the stands as global music icon Taylor Swift, the partner to Chiefs tight end Kelce, was in a suite alongside Kelce's retired brother, Jason, who went viral on social media with his antics.
The Bills went into halftime with a 17-13 advantage thanks to two touchdowns runs by their Pro Bowl quarterback.
Kelce caught his second touchdown pass early in the third to give the Chiefs a three point lead before Khalil Shakir gave the Bills a 24-20 advantage heading into the final quarter.
However, just 40 seconds into the fourth, Isiah Pacheco's four-yard touchdown run gave the Chiefs a 27-24 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Bills kicker Tyler Bass had a chance to tie the contest with 1:47 remaining with a 44-yard field goal, but missed wide-right, stirring up memories of Scott Norwood's missed field goal against the New York Giants from Super Bowl XXV in 1991.
“Ultimately, completely on me,” Bass said after the game. “I feel terrible. I love this team, man. It hurts. This one hurts bad.”
After throwing for just 186 yards and a single touchdown, Allen didn't blame Bass for the Bills coming up short against the Chiefs once again.
“I wish he wouldn’t have been put in that situation. You win as a team you lose as a team. One play doesn’t define a game, doesn’t define a season,” Allen said. “Losing sucks. Losing to them, losing to anybody.”
The Chiefs would go on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship and the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII to claim their second straight Lombardi Trophy and fourth in franchise history.