The Kansas City Chiefs punched their ticket into the AFC Championship after defeating the Houston Texans on Saturday. Now, they know who they’ll play for the right to represent the AFC and keep the Lamar Hunt trophy in Kansas City.
The Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship on January 26 at 5:30 p.m. Central time. Kansas City played Buffalo in Week 11 of the regular season and suffered their first loss after beginning the year, winning nine straight games.
Next Sunday will be the fourth postseason meeting between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Mahomes is 3-0 against the Bills in the playoffs. The last time Kansas City and Buffalo faced off in an AFC Championship was during the 2020 campaign when Mahomes’ Chiefs beat Allen’s Bills 38-24. Since then, Kansas City and Buffalo have been a marquee matchup that ceases to disappoint and has developed into one of the more entertaining rivalries in the NFL right now.
The Bills got to the AFC Championship after sending the Baltimore Ravens home in the AFC Divisional round, 27-25, on Sunday evening. Quarterback Josh Allen finished the game 16 of 22 for 127 yards passing and rushed 10 times for 20 yards and two touchdowns.
Baltimore entered this game with the best-rushing defense, allowing just 80 yards per game. But they were unable to contain the Bills’ rushing attack, allowing 127 yards on the ground. Ultimately, the game came down to Buffalo’s opportunistic defense taking the ball away from the Ravens’ offense, forcing two fumbles and an interception.
In their regular season meeting, Kansas City struggled to prevent Allen from running with the football as he left the pocket 12 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs also gave the football away on offense, as Mahomes threw two interceptions in that game.
If Kansas City is to move on to Super Bowl LIX, then keeping Allen in the pocket and not turning the football over will be two categories that will be a point of emphasis this week. Overall, it’s always a hard-fought battle that comes down to the wire every time these two teams play. Next week should be no different.
