Patrick Mahomes has made enough trips to Buffalo to know he and the Kansas City Chiefs shouldn’t expect a warm welcome from Bills fans on Sunday.
“They don’t like us,” Mahomes said.
Can you blame them?
Since 2020, Mahomes and the Chiefs have blocked Josh Allen and the Bills’ path to the Super Bowl with four playoff wins, including Buffalo’s 32-29 loss in the AFC championship game in January.
The most memorable was Kansas City’s 42-36 overtime win in a divisional-round meeting in January 2022, since dubbed “13 Seconds.” That’s how much time Mahomes had to complete two passes for 44 yards and set up Harrison Butker’s tying, 49-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.
The stakes of Sunday’s meeting aren’t as high, yet the Chiefs (5-3) and Bills (5-2) have playoff seeding to think about.
If there’s any solace in Buffalo, it’s that the Bills have won four straight in the regular season against their fellow AFC contender.
Buffalo fans may not like the Chiefs, but the team certainly has the Bills’ respect.
Allen recounted the number of times he and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have exchanged greetings following games, no matter the outcome.
“Sometimes it just kind of happens, we’re walking by and sometimes we look for each other,” Allen said. “Yes, I would say there is mutual respect, at least I hope there is.”
Allen is 4-1 the regular season against KC, averaging 252 yards passing with 13 overall touchdowns (10 passing) and three interceptions.
On Sunday, the quarterback will be challenged by Spagnuolo’s defense, which ranks fourth in the NFL and third against the pass. Kansas City has allowed a combined 652 yards and 24 points during a three-game win streak.
Meanwhile, Allen and the Bills’ passing attack have struggled over a four-game stretch in which he’s thrown four interceptions, lost a fumble and had difficulty finding open receivers downfield.
“It’s just some of the smaller things and again, it pertains to what I’m doing,” Allen said.
Buffalo has a dynamic ground attack featuring James Cook, who rushed for a career-best 216 yards and scored twice in a 40-9 win over Carolina last weekend.
Mahomes, meantime, has been on a roll, taking advantage of an offense that has a nearly full complement of threats.
Receiver Xavier Worthy is back after hurting his shoulder in Week 1. Fellow wideout Rashee Rice has been a dynamic option since his return from a six-game NFL suspension for his role in a high-speed car crash in Dallas in March 2024.
Whatever welcome Mahomes receives, the quarterback intends to enjoy what should be a raucous atmosphere.
“When you watch on TV growing up, that’s the environment you want to play in,” he said, before noting it could be his final game at the 52-year-old stadium, with the Bills moving to a new facility across the street next year.
“I love playing in historic stadiums, and that stadium has had so many great players play in it,” Mahomes said. Him among them.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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