Revisiting iconic Bills-Chiefs playoff game ahead of Week 6 rematch originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Patrick Mahomes. Josh Allen. Round 5.
Two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks will square off for the fifth time in three seasons when the Buffalo Bills take on the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The frequent meetings have offered some of the most memorable games of the 2020s, but nothing compares to their most recent matchup.
Nine months ago in Kansas City, Mahomes and Allen went back and forth in what was instantly acknowledged as one of the greatest NFL playoff games in history. Allen and the Bills may not be able to exact full revenge entirely until this year’s postseason, but a Week 6 matchup at Arrowhead offers an opportunity for some payback.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Before Mahomes and Allen go head to head again, let’s revisit their last, iconic showdown.
When did the Kansas City Chiefs last play the Buffalo Bills?
The second-seeded Chiefs hosted the third-seeded Bills in the AFC divisional round on Jan. 23, 2022. The winner would host the No. 4 seed Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game with a berth in Super Bowl LVI on the line.
Sports
Why is “13 seconds” significant for Bills-Chiefs?
The game was tightly contested throughout, but it reached unforgettable levels following the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.
Facing fourth-and-13 on the first play following the two-minute warning, Allen hit wideout Gabriel Davis for a 27-yard touchdown.
The Bills converted the ensuing two-point try to take a 29-26 lead.
Less than a minute later, the Chiefs re-took the lead. Tyreek Hill reeled in a pass from Mahomes at midfield and sped through the Buffalo defense for a 64-yard score.
With 1:02 remaining in regulation, the Bills started at their own 25-yard line. Allen soon completed another touchdown pass to Davis, putting Buffalo ahead 36-33 with 13 seconds left.
If the Bills had used just a couple more seconds, they could have put the game on ice for good. Those 13 seconds were just too much time for Mahomes, though.
The Chiefs had all three of their timeouts remaining when they got the ball back. The drive began with a 19-yard completion to Hill, which took the clock down to eight seconds before Kansas City was able to use its first timeout. On the next play, Mahomes connected with tight end Travis Kelce for 25 yards, getting to the Bills’ 31-yard line with three seconds left in regulation.
After a second Chiefs timeout, Harrison Butker drilled a game-tying, 49-yard field goal that sent the game into overtime.
The rest is history. The Chiefs won the overtime coin toss, drove all the way down the field and got a game-winning touchdown from Kelce without Allen ever getting the ball back.
Bills-Chiefs divisional round stats
The final stats from the game are just ludicrous.
Mahomes completed 33 of 44 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns while chipping in 69 more yards and another score in the run game. Allen, meanwhile, went 27 of 37 with 329 passing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 68 rushing yards.
The receiving numbers are just as crazy. Davis tallied 201 receiving yards and became the first player in NFL history with four receiving touchdowns in a playoff game. On the other side, Hill ended the game with 11 receptions, 150 receiving yards and a touchdown.
How many times has Patrick Mahomes faced Josh Allen?
Sunday’s Week 6 showdown will be the fifth meeting between Mahomes and Allen and the fourth straight to be played in Kansas City.
The two QBs first played one another in the 2020 regular season with the Chiefs winning a road game in Buffalo. They then met in the 2020 AFC Championship Game with Mahomes and Co. advancing to Super Bowl LV with a 38-24 victory.
The 2021 NFL season also featured regular season and playoff matchups between the Chiefs and Bills. Buffalo dominated the first game by a score of 38-20 on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. Kansas City got the last laugh, though, with the extraordinary divisional round triumph.
Looking ahead, the Bills will have to visit Arrowhead for the third straight regular season in 2023. Their next chance to host the Chiefs could come in 2024 if both teams finish in the same spot in their respective divisions next season.
Given the two quarterbacks, it would be no surprise to see both teams earn first place every year for the foreseeable future.
What has changed since the last Bills-Chiefs game?
Mahomes and Allen are still around, but each team has seen a notable change since their last meeting.
The Chiefs no longer have their top receiver from the last matchup after trading Hill to the Miami Dolphins in March. He enters Week 6 with 524 receiving yards, third-most in the NFL and more than twice as many as Kansas City’s top wideout.
The biggest loss for Buffalo came on the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll became head coach of the New York Giants in January and was replaced by Ken Dorsey. Though he famously erupted in the coaching booth in the Bills’ lone loss this season, his offense leads the league in total yards and passing yards through five weeks. They are also No. 2 in the league in points score, trailing only the Chiefs.
As far as additions, the Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Orlando Brown Jr., while the Bills bolstered their defense with the signing of Von Miller.
