The premier quarterback rivalry of the new era will write another chapter this weekend as the Chiefs look to continue their undefeated road season with a trip to Buffalo. Including the playoffs, this will be the eighth meeting between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen since the start of the 2020 season.
There has been a clear trend between these two teams in terms of what happens when they play. The Bills own the Chiefs in the regular season with a 3-1 record in matchups between Allen and Mahomes; However, the Chiefs are 3-0 against the Bills in the postseason. The frequency of games between these two teams, along with having two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in their prime, has created a legitimate rivalry.
The stakes are always high when the Chiefs play the Bills and that remains true for the upcoming game on Sunday. Kansas City has compiled a 9-0 record, while the Bills have a commanding lead in the AFC East with an 8-2 record. If the Bills are able to do it, they will have a path to being the No. 1 seed in the AFC and skipping the first round of the playoffs. These are two of the entrenched titans of the NFL, and this game will be a good benchmark to learn from what each of them is capable of in terms of making the postseason.
Both offenses are among the best in the league and both will play against good, if somewhat sketchy, defenses. The Chiefs have drawn concern and criticism for their lack of explosive plays, but overall this is still one of the best offenses in the league. According to TruMedia, the Chiefs rank fifth in offensive success rate and second in offensive dropback success rate. Their 2.39 points per drive is good for eighth in the league and they are converting over 50% of their third downs. They have changed direction and now have a more dunk style of offense, but they are still good.
The Bills aren’t exactly expressing it this year either, but they have been able to push the ball down the field more than the Chiefs. In a world where Lamar Jackson wasn’t having one of the best seasons ever, Josh Allen would be the favorite for MVP. He has once again been incredible while carrying an Atlas-level workload for the offense with a host of young wide receivers. Both offenses are more consistently efficient than the defenses they will face, which could lead to fireworks.
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How each defense performs against the elite quarterback on the other side of the field will be a crucial piece of information moving forward. The Bills’ only two losses this year came at the hands of Lamar Jackson and CJ Stroud. Kansas City is undefeated, but good offenses like the Falcons and Buccaneers have been able to move the ball on them.
Allen said this week that he’s more concerned about getting over the Chiefs’ hump in the playoffs than in the regular season, which makes sense given that three of his five playoff exits have come at the hands of Mahomes and Kansas City. This team is capable of overcoming that mountain, but it still has to do so when push comes to shove. Sunday is the Bills’ biggest test of the season against their biggest rival, and will let them know where they stand in their quest to finally reach the Super Bowl in the Josh Allen era.
Game, set, match. This is what we are looking for in this league.