Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - One of the best ongoing rivalries in football will add another chapter next weekend in the AFC Championship Game.
Following a win on Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, the Buffalo Bills will make their return to the AFC title game for the first time in four seasons when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
This upcoming matchup will be the fourth head-to-head matchup between the Bills and Chiefs in the postseason since the 2020 season. Each time has seen Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City come away with a win over Josh Allen and a Buffalo squad that has had plenty of success against the Chiefs in the regular season.
The first playoff matchup between the two teams came during the 2020 COVID season in the AFC Championship Game, where the Bills were dominated for most of the evening in Kansas City, en route to a 38-24 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Related
The Chiefs ended up going to the Super Bowl that season, where they lost in the Big Game to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The following season saw the Bills and Chiefs square off once again in the postseason, this time in the AFC Divisional Round in Kansas City. This game turned into one of the all-time classics, as both teams went back-and-forth before overtime was needed with the game tied at 36-36. After winning the coin toss in overtime, the Chiefs were able to drive the field and score a touchdown, thus ending any hopes of a Bills return trip to the AFC title game in 2021.
Kansas City didn't get much further, though, as the Chiefs went on to lose in the AFC Championship Game the following week to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Two seasons later, the Bills and Chiefs were set to meet again in the AFC Divisional Round, this time in Western New York at Highmark Stadium. However, like the first two outings in the playoffs, the Bills came up just short in the end when kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal with 1:47 left on the clock and a chance to tie the game at 27-27.
The Chiefs ended up winning the following week in Baltimore against the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, and then won Super Bowl LVIII in dramatic fashion with an overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Related
The Chiefs enter Sunday's matchup for the AFC crown after earning a 23-14 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon in Kansas City. This will be their seventh-consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship Game since the 2018 season in Mahomes' first full season as the starting quarterback.
Kansas City used a stout second half performance from their defense to eliminate any chance of a late push from the Texans, while Mahomes led the Chiefs on a long scoring drive on their first possession of the third quarter that took the wind out of Houston's sails.
Related
The Chiefs got off to a hot start to begin their 2024 season, going 9-0 through the first 10 weeks of the NFL season. While the Chiefs were not the flashiest of teams over that stretch, Kansas City found ways to squeak out wins and build a substantial lead over their opponents in the AFC standings.
However, Kansas City's unbeaten run ended in Buffalo, of all places, in a Week 11 loss to the Bills at Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen was the star of the day in the Buffalo win, completing 27-of-40 pass attempts for 272 yards and a touchdown, while also capping the 30-21 win with a 26-yard touchdown run that electrified the NFL landscape.
Related
Following the loss, the Chiefs continued to win, earning victories over the next six games to clinch not only their ninth-straight AFC West title, but also capturing the No. 1 seed in the AFC standings and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Despite finishing the 2024 season as a team near the middle of the pack offensively, the Chiefs were, once again, stout defensively as a top-10 unit in production, and top-five unit in scoring. Kansas City only gave up an average of 320.6 yards in the regular season, and managed to give up an average of just 19.2 points per-game.
While Mahomes and the Chiefs offense struggled at times throughout the season, the veteran quarterback still managed to finish his 2024 campaign with 3,928 passing yards, a 67.5% completion percentage and 26 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
The winner of Sunday's AFC Championship Game will earn the right to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9 in New Orleans. They will then face the winner of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles.
Kickoff for Sunday's NFC Championship tilt is set for 3 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Complete coverage of Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the Bills and Chiefs begins at 10 a.m. on WGR. Hear all the play-by-play action beginning at 6:30 p.m. with Chris Brown, Eric Wood and Sal Capaccio on the call.
Related
