The Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) and Buffalo Bills (13-4) are set to meet again in the NFL playoffs on Sunday. This time, it will be in the AFC Championship, taking place inside Arrowhead Stadium, marking the 57th meeting between the two teams all-time, according to The Football Database.
Another AFC Championship battle
Sunday’s game will not just be the second time they’ve met this season, it will the third time they’ll meet in the AFC Championship, deadlocked at 1-1. The first time the two teams met for the AFC title was during the 1993 season when Buffalo defeated Kansas City 30-13, with the Bills making their second Super Bowl appearance. The two would not meet again in the conference title game until the 2020 season, when the Chiefs won 38-24 en route to their second Super Bowl title. Both teams have winning records in AFC Championship games, however: the Bills are 4-3, and the Chiefs are 6-3.
A tale of two teams
Since 2020, the Chiefs and Bills have faced off at least once each season. Currently, the Bills lead the series 30-25-1. Their most recent meeting occurred on Nov. 17, when the Chiefs traveled to Buffalo and suffered their first loss of the season, falling 30-21. However, in the postseason, the Chiefs hold the advantage, leading the Bills 4-2.
Their first meeting was all the way back in 1967 for the AFL Championship, with the Chiefs winning 31-7. In their six overall playoff matchups, three of those have been just over the last three years, with the last two decided by one score–all Chiefs victories. Buffalo secured two playoff wins in the 1991 and 1993 seasons.
This rivalry has evolved in the latter years into one of the most exciting in the NFL today, akin to the former New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts (and briefly, the Denver Broncos) battles, when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning led their respective teams. Now, it’s Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen who are the faces of the rivalry, and when they meet, it’s always pure cinema.
What’s striking about this rivalry is that during the regular season, Allen and the Bills tend to have the upper hand over Mahomes and the Chiefs. After their most recent matchup, Allen and the Bills are 4-1 against Kansas City, according to StatHead. However, Mahomes and the Chiefs have a perfect 3-0 postseason record against Buffalo.
Super Bowl comparison… or lack thereof
This fact has become increasingly frustrating for the Bills, their fans, and Allen, who is considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL alongside Mahomes. However, it is Mahomes and Kansas City who have the championships to show for it. The Chiefs have won four Super Bowl titles, with the only one not secured under Mahomes or head coach Andy Reid coming in 1969.
Buffalo, on the other hand, has not appeared in a Super Bowl since their heartbreaking 1994 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, 30-13, which capped a historic but painful streak of four straight Super Bowl appearances—all losses. The Bills are one of 12 NFL teams without a Super Bowl title.
Although the Bills are without a Super Bowl, they did claim two AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, prior to the AFL-NFL merger. Even then, the Chiefs surpassed them, winning three AFL Championships in 1962, 1966, and 1969. The AFL Championship is considered the predecessor to the AFC Championship.
Chiefs overall playoff record summary
All-Time Playoffs: 46 Games, 25-21
Wild Card Round: 13 Games, 5-8
Divisional Round: 17 Games, 9-8
Conference Championship: 9 Games, 6-3
Super Bowl: 6 Games, 4-2
Championship (pre-1966): 1 Games, 1-0
Bills overall playoff record summary
All-Time Playoffs: 42 Games, 21-21
Wild Card Round: 13 Games, 8-5
Divisional Round: 16 Games, 7-9
Conference Championship: 7 Games, 4-3
Super Bowl: 4 Games, 0-4
Championship (pre-1966): 2 Games, 2-0
