Kansas City, Mo. (96.5 The Fan/WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs see each other so often these days, it almost feels like they are division rivals.
The latest installment of the battle between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes will take place Sunday in Kansas City for the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium, with Buffalo looking to finally get over the hump and reach the Super Bowl. The Chiefs, winners of the last two Super Bowls, have repeatedly had the Bills’ number – particularly in the postseason.
However, the Bills struggling against Kansas City is hardly a knock on their overall status as the unequivocal second-toughest out in the AFC after the reigning champions.
During his weekly appearance with Carrington Harrison on "The Drive" on Tuesday, Mahomes says there’s one big parallel between the two sides.
“I feel like we're very similar. Maybe not in scheme and schematics and stuff like that, but just as far as [having] a lot of guys that have had a lot of success in the NFL and in their careers,” said Mahomes on 96.5 The Fan. “A lot of great football players, and it’s not about just one guy. Obviously they have Josh, and Josh is an extremely talented football player, and so we have [the] quarterbacks and stuff like that, but at the same time it goes throughout the entire team.
“You can see that when you watch the film with them. Everybody believes everybody is going to go out and do their job to the best of their ability and that’s why these games have been so tightly-contested. A lot of great football players and great coaches going up against each other. That’s why it’s been what the record has been."
In a way, that experience factor is self-sustaining within the Bills and Chiefs rivalry. They see each other so often on big stages that anyone who has been with either team for a few years will enter Sunday with a bevy of experience in big moments – all thanks to having been part of the rivalry.
Experience aside, both quarterbacks are so dominant that neither can have a bad game. If one has a rough evening, gutting out a win becomes a borderline herculean task.
For Mahomes, that’s what makes going up against Allen such a challenge.
“Knowing that Josh is going to give his team a chance to win and he’s going to battle to the very end, I know I need to play my best football,” Mahomes said. “I have a lot of respect for Josh and the entire Buffalo Bills organization. That’s why they’ve had so much success and you respect that, but you have to go out there and play your best football and hope you give your team the best chance to win.”
Kickoff on Sunday in Kansas City is slated for 6:30 p.m. EST.