The Bills are heading to the AFC Championship game to face the Kansas City Chiefs. It's the first time Buffalo is back in the conference championship since the 2020 season.
Here's five things to know ahead of Sunday night's matchup.
👍1. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes headline a must-see matchup
Two of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes headline Sunday's AFC Championship game. These two will face off for the fourth time in the postseason and ninth time overall since 2020. They are the first pair of non-divisional quarterbacks to meet nine times in a five-season span since 1963-67. That last two quarterbacks to do it – Jack Kemp of the Bills and Len Dawson of the Chiefs.
While Allen and Mahomes have had regular season performances to remember, these quarterbacks shine brighter in the playoffs. These leaders are two of the most important pieces behind each team's playoff streak.
"It's heavyweight after heavyweight," ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky told One Bills Live. "I mean how often do we get this as football fans. It's a guy that has gone toe-to-toe against Patrick twice in the playoffs, and Patrick's kept him out and Allen's having an all-time great, historical and best season of his career. He's trying to go on the road to beat a guy who doesn't lose there and he's on the precipice of history in it of itself. How awesome is that as football fans."
Since 2019, Allen has played in 12 postseason games with seven of those being wins. Buffalo's QB has 23 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions and a 101.5 passer rating in those games. Allen has averaged 312.6 offensive yards per game and 2.6 touchdowns per game over that span.
Allen's 31 touchdowns in 12 postseason games ties for the second-fastest player to reach 30 (Kurt Warner). Allen's seven rushing touchdowns in his playoff career ties for second-most all-time by a quarterback (Tom Brady).
Since 2019, Mahomes is 15-2 in the playoffs with three Super Bowls under his belt. KC's QB has 39 passing touchdowns to just eight interceptions and a 106.3 passer rating in those games. Mahomes has averaged 309.3 offensive yards per game and 2.5 touchdowns per game over that span.
Allen and Mahomes rank No. 1 and No. 2 in total yards per game in NFL playoff history.
🌊2. Keeping the splash-play mindset
Buffalo's defense had an aggressive mindset against the Ravens in the Divisional Round. It resulted in three takeaways and a Baltimore offense that looked like a shell of themselves in the first half.
Buffalo's defensive front did a great job of pressuring quarterback Lamar Jackson into making quick decisions and set the tone by stopping the run early. The Bills blitzed Jackson on 48.4% of his dropbacks, making it the fifth-highest rate in a game under Sean McDermott. The defense's ability to play gap-sound football allowed the back end of the defense to matchup, making it harder for Jackson to find his receivers.
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said Buffalo's use of base defense (4-3) and playing more man coverage helped them early on.
"I thought some of the scheme stuff they did was super important to them to protect and attack," Orlovsky told One Bills Live.
Stealing three of the Ravens offensive possessions and giving the ball back to their offense resulted in 10 extra points for Buffalo. It's the right type of mindset to take into the next round of the playoffs when going up against an offense like the Chiefs.
Kansas City has been able to churn out several last-minute wins this season thanks to their ability to play mistake-free football. Buffalo's defense is averaging close to two takeaways per game, and it might be just what they need to give their team the best chance to win.
The Chiefs averaged 22.65 points per game (15th), 327.6 total yards per game (16th), 53.8% red zone efficiency (tied for 22nd) and had 14 turnovers (tied for 4th least) during the regular season.
🎯3. Staying diverse on offense
Buffalo became the first team in NFL history to rush for at least 30 touchdowns and pass for at least 30 this season. Their ability to be diverse on offense is one reason why they've made it this far in the postseason.
Buffalo relied on their rushing offense last week that produced 147 yards and three touchdowns to help earn them the victory over Baltimore. They leaned on their passing offense early in the season, which accounted for four touchdowns through the air against the Jaguars. While the offense has evolved throughout the season, offensive coordinator Joe Brady has no plans of moving away from what makes them great.
"Your offense is going to have to continue to evolve as the season goes, both run game and pass game and season-to-season," Brady said. "And then once you develop that run game, making sure that you have the auxiliary runs or the other ones that might look like something that you're really good at, so you can't become predictable. So, that's something that we have to continue to grow with and expand on to be able to continue to run the football and make it as two dimensional as possible."
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky told One Bills Live this version of Buffalo's offense is very efficient and it's why they're playing for a conference championship.
"The evolution and growth of what they used to be and where they are in the middle of right now, it's not just Josh Allen," Orlovsky said. "...the evolution and growth of this offense is efficiency and owning the line of scrimmage. (It's) being able to control the football game and being able to play in a way that however a defense tells you you have to play, you're capable of doing it."
When you look at the matchup between Buffalo's offense and Kansas City's defense, the Chiefs allowed 101.8 rushing yards per game (8th best) and 218.8 passing yards per game (18th) during the regular season. They allowed 149 rushing yards and 187 passing yards to the Texans in last week's Divisional Round matchup. Buffalo finished the regular season averaging 131.1 rushing yards per game (9th best) and 227.9 passing yards per game (9th best).
🛑4. Limiting Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy
While the Chiefs haven't been a high-powered offense this season, Patrick Mahomes can still lean on a couple weapons that have shown they're capable of putting up game-changing numbers. Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Xavier Worthy are two players Buffalo's defense will have to be ready to attack.
Kelce finished the regular season with 97 catches, 823 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. The TE had the second-most receiving yards of any player in the Divisional Round with 117 receiving yards.
"He's gonna go down as the greatest tight end to ever play the game," Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. "The thing that's unique about him is no matter what the regular season looks like, he shows up in the playoffs. And, you talk about the greatest competitors in any sport, that's what they tend to do is they show up in the biggest moments, and he does that. So, we got to try to put a plan together as best we can to make sure that we at least keep him contained."
Kelce has 20 receiving touchdowns in his postseason career, which is the second-most all-time. He also has nine career playoff games with at least 100 receiving yards, good for most in NFL history.
When the Bills played the Chiefs during the regular season in Week 11, Worthy finished as the leading receiver with 61 yards and a touchdown. The rookie poses as a speedy deep threat that is hard to matchup with.
"He's fitting into their system really well because he's got tremendous speed," Babich explained. "He's got tremendous run after catch, and that stuff creates a problem. He's pretty tough. Taylor Rapp put a pretty big hit on him last time we played, and he held on to the ball. So, there's a lot of things that he brings to the table that are gonna be a problem for a long time."
Worthy had five catches for 45 receiving yards against the Texans last week.
😤5. Down to four
Four teams remain with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. These are the types of games that make all the hard work in-season and throughout the off-season completely worth it. The Bills will have a huge stage on Sunday night to show the world what sets them apart from others.
It'll also be the second time in the Sean McDermott and Josh Allen era that the Bills are playing for the conference championship.
"From my own experience in the playoffs, you've got to play your best football, plain and simple," McDermott shared. "You've got to perform at a level that allows you to win."
The Bills and Chiefs have history with each other, especially in the playoffs. While Buffalo hasn't taken down the Chiefs yet in the playoffs, the Bills have put together some impressive games. Their last two playoff meetings have been decided by six points or less in each game. They're the first pair of teams to meet four times in the span of five postseasons since 1995-98.
