Breaking Down Chiefs-Bills QB Rivalry

Publish date: 2024-07-08

Back when Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was a young football fan rather than a two-time MVP, he watched closely whenever Peyton Manning and Tom Brady dueled it out in the signature quarterback rivalry in NFL history.

But now Mahomes is one-half of his own top-tier QB clash.

Kansas City's Divisional Round matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday will mark the seventh time the six-time Pro Bowler will face off against opposing quarterback Josh Allen. The pair of signal-callers may be the two best at their position that the league has to offer, and they already have their share of memorable regular and postseason encounters. Fast-forward a decade or two from when Brady-Manning meetings dominated the league, and the Mahomes-Allen one-two punch could be as close as the NFL has gotten to replicating those iconic showdowns. Just ask Mahomes.

"We've played in a lot of big games," Mahomes said Wednesday about playing against Allen. "I'm excited for the challenge. I grew up watching those [Brady-Manning] games and remember how many memories I have from that, and hopefully we can play in these great games as well and give memories to the kids that come up behind us."

Before the two QBs take the field in Buffalo, New York, at 6:30 p.m. ET, here's a breakdown of the Allen-Mahomes rivalry so far.

Allen vs. Mahomes Head-to-Head Record

Buffalo's and Kansas City's star quarterbacks have an even 3-3 record against each other going into their latest Divisional Round matchup. Allen and the Bills are 3-1 against Mahomes and the Chiefs in the regular season, including wins in their last two meetings.

Mahomes, though, has an unblemished 2-0 mark against his rival in the playoffs.

That is headlined, of course, by the epic Divisional Round Game two seasons ago that ended in a 42-36 Chiefs overtime win. But all that needs to be said to recall the now-infamous contest is a number. Thirteen. Allen hit wide receiver Gabe Davis for their fourth touchdown connection of the night, this time to take a 3-point lead, with only 13 seconds remaining in regulation.

But that was enough time for Mahomes. The Chiefs quickly got into field goal position, then Travis Kelce scored on the first possession of overtime to eliminate the Bills in a game that led to a league OT rule change.

It is still the only game in NFL history, regular season or postseason, where both quarterbacks had at least 300 passing yards, three passing TDs, zero picks and 50 rushing yards.

Kansas City ended Buffalo's season in the playoffs in two of the previous three years. This time around, Mahomes is going for his fourth Super Bowl appearance and third win, while Allen is still trying to get to Super Bowl Sunday for the first time. And finally clearing the Chiefs in the postseason, like Manning's Colts once had to do against Brady's Patriots, is a hurdle in his way of getting there.

"They've been at the top of the mountain, they know what it takes to get there," Allen said after Wednesday's practice. "We've yet to do that. As a competitor, as a player, to be in a situation like this is something that you dream about."

Buffalo hasn't lost to Kansas City since the first Divisional Round meeting. Most recently, the Bills beat the Chiefs 20-17 in December, and Mahomes was still fuming during a postgame conversation with Allen because of an offside penalty that wiped away a late Kansas City touchdown.

Mahomes Getting True 'Bills Mafia' Experience

Mahomes is in for a few new experiences this weekend.

Not only does Sunday's game mark Mahomes' first true road playoff contest. It will also serve as his debut in front of the table-crushing "Bills Mafia." The only previous time he played the Bills away from the comforts of Arrowhead Stadium was in 2020, but no fans were permitted in Buffalo's stadium at the time as a COVID-19 precaution.

"I've been lucky enough to play a lot of games at home at Arrowhead Stadium, and just everything's [fallen] that way," Mahomes said.

"Now we get the great opportunity to go on the road, play in a hostile environment, one that I haven't been able to play with fans in the stands, and even though I know it's going to be hostile and there's going to be people talking trash and everything like that, I'm excited for it because it's one of the best environments in football," he said. "And you want to do that, when you grow up watching these games...playing the best environments and see what it's like."

Buffalo hosts the latest installment in this anticipated series after bouncing back from a 6-6 start to finish with 11 wins, the AFC East title and the second seed in the conference. The Bills overcame both a snowstorm and the seventh-seeded Steelers with a 31-17 Wild Card win last weekend.

The No. 3 seed Chiefs (11-6 regular season) are coming off perhaps their most complete game since last year's Super Bowl. Kansas City knocked off the Wild Card Miami Dolphins, 26-7, at Arrowhead to advance.

Mahomes-Allen Stats Against Each Other

Mahomes and Allen enter Sunday's game even in terms of their win-loss record against each other, but how have they performed in their always anticipated head-to-head matchups?

Here's a game-by-game look.

Week 6, 2020 Season — Chiefs Win 26-17 in Buffalo

Mahomes: 21-of-26 passing, 225 yards, two touchdowns, 128.4 passer rating.
Allen: 14-of-27 passing, 122 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 73.4 passer rating.

AFC Championship Game, 2020 Season — Chiefs Win 38-24 in Kansas City

Mahomes: 29-of-38 passing, 325 yards, three touchdowns, 127.6 passer rating.
Allen: 28-of-48 passing, 287 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 80.8 passer rating.

Week 5, 2021 Season — Bills Win 38-20 in Kansas City

Mahomes: 33-of-54 passing, 272 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 70.9 passer rating.
Allen: 15-of-26 passing, 315 yards, three touchdowns, one rushing score, 139.1 passer rating.

Divisional Round, 2021 Playoffs — Chiefs Win 42-36 (OT) in Kansas City

Mahomes: 33-of-44 passing, 378 yards, three touchdowns, one rushing score, 123.1 passer rating.
Allen: 27-of-37 passing, 329 yards, four touchdowns, 136.0 passer rating.

Week 6, 2022 Season — Bills Win 24-20 in Kansas City

Mahomes: 25-of-40 passing, 338 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 85.2 passer rating.
Allen: 27-of-40 passing, 329 yards, three touchdowns, 117.6 passer rating.

Week 14, 2023 Season — Bills Wins 20-17 in Kansas City

Mahomes: 25-of-43 passing, 271 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 74.9 passer rating.
Allen: 23-of-42 passing, 233 yards, one touchdown, one interception, one rushing score, 68.8 passer rating.

Allen, Mahomes Are Friends Off the Field

Consider each Allen-Mahomes showdown a friendly rivalry full of mutual respect.

The two quarterbacks are well-documented friends when they aren't on opposing sidelines on the gridiron. They were teammates two years ago in "The Match," a celebrity golf event in Las Vegas, though they ended up losing to Brady and Aaron Rodgers. And the big-armed Pro Bowlers know a thing or two about keeping it light with each other, like when Mahomes publicly challenged Allen to a throwing distance competition.

So no matter the result on Sunday, expect a warm embrace near midfield while one team is celebrating a trip to the AFC Championship Game and the other is crushed by defeat.

"I consider us fairly good friends," Allen said this week, according to Sports Illustrated. "Obviously, in the offseason, we tend to play some golf together—at least we have in the last few offseasons. He's a fantastic player.... One of the greatest quarterbacks to already play this game, and he's still growing and still getting better."

Added Mahomes: "When you compete against your friends, you almost want to win even more because of it. Josh is a great dude. I respect the way he plays football and just the guy that he is. But when two guys that are ultracompetitive that are friends off the field go up against each other, we obviously both want to win. We see each other in the offseason, and you want to have a little bit of those bragging rights."

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