The Kansas City Chiefs are chasing a record third consecutive Super Bowl title, but first they have to beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game on Sunday night.
The Bills were one of two teams to beat Kansas City during the regular season, but they have lost three playoff games to the Chiefs over the past five seasons. The Bills have lost seven straight road playoff games since a 29-10 win at Miami in the AFC championship game in the 1992 season. That playoff road skid is the third longest in the NFL. They have not been to the Super Bowl since going to four straight in the early 1990s.
Bills player to watch
Josh Allen is enjoying his most efficient season, and the Buffalo quarterback has a track record of raising his level of play in the playoffs. He’s 7-5 in the postseason with a franchise-record 23 touchdowns passing against just four interceptions, and his seven TDs rushing in the postseason are tied for second on the NFL list among QBs, one behind Steve Young. In three playoff losses to Kansas City, Allen is a combined 81 of 126 for 802 yards with seven TDs passing, two rushing and just one interception.
Chiefs player to watch
Patrick Mahomes moved into a tie with Joe Montana for the second-most playoff wins as a starting quarterback in the divisional round against Houston. But while Montana was 16-7 for his career, the Chiefs' two-time NFL MVP is 16-3, and two of the three losses came in overtime in the AFC championship game while the other came in the Super Bowl — the only Super Bowl he's lost in four tries.
Key matchup
The Chiefs defensive front against Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who beat them both rushing and passing in a loss in Buffalo in November. Allen threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in that game while running 12 times for 55 yards and another score — a 26-yard TD run with 2:17 left that sealed the 30-21 victory for the Bills.
Key injuries
Bills starting safety Taylor Rapp was ruled out with a hip injury sustained against Baltimore on Sunday. Starting cornerback Christian Benford is listed as questionable and needs to be cleared from concussion protocol. Starting linebacker Matt Milano carries no injury designation after hurting his hamstring last week.
The Chiefs came out of their game against Houston healthy. That includes cornerback Jaylen Watson, who was playing for the first time since breaking his ankle Oct. 20 against San Francisco.
Series notes
Since meeting for the AFC title on Jan. 24, 2021, the Bills and Chiefs have met seven times, with Buffalo winning all four regular-season matchups and Kansas City winning each of the three playoff games. That includes a 38-24 win that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl, a 42-36 overtime win in the divisional round the following year, and a 27-24 divisional win in Buffalo last year. The team also met for the 1993 conference championship with Buffalo winning 30-13 in the midst of four straight Super Bowl appearances, and the Bills won a divisional playoff game on Jan. 5, 1992. Kansas City beat the Bills 31-7 for the AFL title on Jan. 1, 1967, and would lose to the Packers two weeks later in the first Super Bowl.
