Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have won eight consecutive playoff games, the third-longest playoff winning streak of all-time. Mahomes will have to go through a familiar foe to extend the streak to nine.
“Two really good football teams going up against each other. They have great players every level, on both sides of the ball, and they’re well coached,” Mahomes said of the Buffalo Bills. “We’ve been able to beat them in the playoffs, and they’ve gotten us in the regular season. But if you look at the games, every game is close, so it just comes down to a play here or there that kind of usually makes an impact on the outcome.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is 4-1 in the regular season against the Chiefs. Allen had a crucial 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down that ended Kansas City’s undefeated bid in Week 11.
Conversely, Mahomes is 3-0 versus Allen and the Bills in the postseason. One of the wins being an epic 2021 divisional round matchup during which Kansas City tied the ballgame on a 13-second drive in the fourth quarter and won in overtime.
Mahomes is entering Sunday tied for the second-most postseason wins by a starting quarterback (16). The three-time Super Bowl champion has the fifth-most playoff touchdown passes (42) and eighth-most postseason passing yards (5,312) in NFL history.
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Mahomes has 918 passing yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in three playoff contests versus Buffalo.
“You just have to know you have to play your best football. I mean, I’ve played against Josh enough times to know that he’s gonna come out there and play great football, especially in those big moments,” Mahomes told reporters. “I have to play my best football whenever I get the opportunity to and try to put our team in the best positions to succeed. And if that’s limiting turnovers, if that’s changing the field position, whatever that is you have to find a way that day to win. When you go up against a great quarterback, it takes your best as well.”
A key factor for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense to perform their best is to figure out a way to get the football to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He caught only three balls for 29 yards in the team’s Week 11 loss to Buffalo. The veteran wideout was held without a catch in Kansas City’s divisional win versus the Houston Texans. Rookie Xavier Worthy was the Chiefs’ only wide receiver to record a catch against Houston.
Hopkins, who’s been in the NFL for 12 years, has never played in an AFC championship game. The five-time Pro Bowler has registered 41 receptions, 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 regular-season games in a Chiefs uniform. He’s a savvy receiver, with sure hands and a big catch radius. Kansas City acquired Hopkins in an October trade with the Tennessee Titans for moments like this.
“Childhood dream,” Hopkins said about playing for a chance to reach the Super Bowl. “I played Madden growing up (and) always tried to get to that Super Bowl game. So as a kid, that’s a lifelong goal.”
Sunday will be the biggest game of Hopkins’ career. But head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes are well accustomed to the pressure. The coach and quarterback have led the Chiefs to the AFC championship game for seven straight seasons. A third consecutive Super Bowl berth will require beating a team they know all too well.
“I feel like we play these guys all the time,” Reid said. “They know us. We know them.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.