Soon, the Kansas City Chiefs will play in their seventh consecutive AFC championship game and will be hosting for the sixth time in seven seasons. It’s an incredible feat for a team that struggled to get any postseason wins for so long but now, it’s become the norm under Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

The only team to beat the Chiefs and their starters this season, the Buffalo Bills, are the final squad to stand in the way of Mahomes and Reid winning their third straight Lamar Hunt trophy. The entire season has been building up to this matchup and moment.

Highlights from the regular season

We’ve seen this story play out in the past: Buffalo wins a big regular-season game against Kansas City but then can’t duplicate it in the postseason. This year, it was Josh Allen and the Bills who once again had a big regular-season weekend, beating the Chiefs 30-21 in November. Allen had his MVP moment, turning a fourth-and-short situation into a 26-yard touchdown run to seal the victory with just over two minutes left.

The Kansas City defense, however, was without pass rusher Charles Omenihu and starting cornerback Jaylen Watson. Those two can make a significant difference in the rematch. Mahomes threw two interceptions in Week 11 and if the Chiefs don’t turn the ball over, they’re a tough team to beat. There are some things to take away from the regular-season game, but it all comes down to pressure-filled situations and who can overcome that adversity.

Postseason success for Kansas City

Mahomes and Allen are about to have their fourth meeting in the playoffs. Thus far, Mahomes and the Chiefs have dominated the series, going 3-0 against the Bills. The Chiefs beat the Bills in the AFC championship game during the 2020-21 season to get back to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season. The following year, the sides met in Kansas City during the divisional round in what is famously known as the “13 Seconds” game.

After a back-and-forth, low-scoring affair for three quarters, both teams went wild in the fourth quarter by trading touchdowns multiple times in the final three minutes. The Bills scored with 13 seconds left to take a three-point lead, but that was enough time for Mahomes and Co. to get into Harrison Butker’s field goal range and send the game to overtime. We all know how that ended: the Chiefs won the coin toss and promptly drove down the field on a tired Bills defense with a walk-off from Mahomes to Travis Kelce.

Last year, the divisional round matchup wound up in Buffalo. That didn’t bother the Chiefs, who would go on to win 27-24, partly thanks to a field goal from Tyler Bass that went wide right late in the game.

How the Chiefs will win this time around

The Chiefs will try to replicate their success again on Sunday evening. Kelce continues to step up in the postseason, and it feels like he’ll need to have another big game if the Chiefs want to come out on top. This also feels like a game that could get Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and DeAndre Hopkins more involved. In the divisional round against the Houston Texans, those two combined for three targets and zero catches. Any added production would enhance the offense and give the team more support in its quest for another AFC crown. Running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco will continue to mix in and out as needed.

Steve Spagnuolo’s defense must continue to play impressive football. This unit has been solid all season despite injuries and looked even better last week with all pieces in place. George Karlaftis becoming a sack monster is a nice development. Trent McDuffie got some interceptions late in the season. Omenihu and Watson being active for this game will be very helpful. Chris Jones is always going to create problems. This game will come down to being able to contain Allen and not letting him run wild or pick up late-down conversions with his arm or legs.

The Chiefs and Bills should give us another instant classic on Sunday. Kansas City is just one win away from keeping the Lamar Hunt trophy at home again and making a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, meaning it’s also a win away from a chance to make NFL history.

“All” they need to do is go out and beat the Bills first.