ORCHARD PARK — Rivalry.
Great quarterback rivalry.
The chicken wings are ready.
Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen were drafted to win high-stakes games like this. They were drafted to win high-stakes games like this one, where the last gunman with the ball wins.
The great quarterback rivalry of the modern era resumes in this AFC Divisional Round showdown Sunday night at Highmark Stadium – where Mahomes strikes fear into the hearts of the championship-hungry Bills Mafia. And Allen would strike fear into the hearts of championship-hungry Chiefs fans. repetition.
Patrick Mahomes is what Josh Allen wants this desperate city to pursue since Jim Kelly went to the Super Bowl from 1990 to 1993 but fell short of the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy. I have what I got.
Mahomes has two Super Bowl rings, but this time on Sunday night, he will defend his Super Bowl LVII championship at Allen's cold and hostile home, and this time he is in town. No quarterback should stand between Mahomes and Super Bowl LVIII. More than Josh Allen.
This is by far the biggest quarterback rivalry since Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning.
Before Manning retired, he couldn't stop Brady from winning four of his seven Super Bowls, but he won two himself. Mahomes stopped Allen from winning one game.
Mahomes vs. Allen is this generation's Ali vs. Frazier heavyweight showdown. Because we watched both sides throw hay until the final bell rang. No one will forget the final two minutes and overtime that saw the Chiefs score a total of 31 points in a 42-36 win in the 2022 divisional round at Arrowhead Stadium.
Allen was heroic in this game, refusing to beat Mahomes in regulation before Mahomes needed 13 seconds left to force overtime, and giving Allen the ball until overtime rules were changed. I didn't let him see it.
The shootout was reminiscent of Manning's dramatic comeback in 2006 when the Colts defeated Brady's Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship game in Indianapolis. It was his first win in three playoff games against Brady.
“I'm not interested in monkeys or excuses,” Manning later said.
Even if he and Mahomes were friends, you better believe Allen would welcome the opportunity to make the same proclamation. Allen also remembers Mahomes' 38-24 victory in the 2020 AFC Championship game in Kansas City.
Of all the stories on this tape, the biggest advantage Mahomes holds over Allen is his 2-0 mark in the playoffs.
Mahomes is tied with Brady for the most QB wins in the playoffs (12) and is on the verge of 30 wins. Allen is the only quarterback in playoff history (at least five games) to average 250 yards passing and 50 yards rushing per game.
For Allen, for the Bills organization, and for Western New York as a whole, Mahomes was the heartbreak kid with the biggest chip in his hands. The two teams are now 3-3 overall after Allen won a 20-17 Kadarius-Toney offside game at Arrowhead on Dec. 10, enraging Mahomes.
Mahomes is 10-2 at home in the playoffs. This will be his first true road playoff game, as Super Bowl LV in Tampa was considered a neutral venue.
Mahomes brings an elite defenseman, but not Tyreek Hill this time. He will rely on rookie Lachie Rice to help Travis Kelce and Isaiah Pacheco run hard in the cold.
Allen cut down on reckless interceptions under offensive coordinator Joe Brady following the firing of head coach Ken Dorsey. And while Mahomes will turn into Houdini to escape pocket trouble, Allen will make Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wary of him as a rampaging running back. Allen will also bring in emerging running back James Cook, wide receiver Khalil Shaquille and rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid to help take the heat off Stefon Diggs.
There are always people who get in the way. The Bad Boy Pistons had been an obstacle for Michael Jordan's Bulls in three consecutive playoffs. Then, in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls swept the Bulls, and the Pistons left their home floor without shaking hands.
“We were very strong mentally and they were a little weak mentally and we kept the pressure on them,” Jordan said. “We never broke our focus and they never broke our spirit.”
Mahomes wasn't mentally able to beat the Bills because Allen wouldn't let him. All of Western New York is waiting for him to slay the dragon and propel the Bills to the next AFC Championship game. The Bills are 60 minutes away from making their fifth Super Bowl appearance and have a long-awaited chance to make history.
