Well, well, well. Once again, for the seventh straight year, the Kansas City Chiefs are playing in the AFC Championship Game. Some of you are probably sick of watching Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs team get to this point, but it seems there is nothing that can be done. Fear not though, as Josh Allen and the Bills will have something to say about them getting back to the Super Bowl as KC looks for a three-peat. Buffalo easily handled Denver in the Wild Card round before escaping against the Ravens a week ago in their Divisional Round matchup. They have a chance to do something special on Sunday and I think they will. Here is our 2025 AFC Championship preview
What Happened This Year
The Chiefs enter this game with just two losses. One came in Week 18 while resting all their starters. The other came in Week 11 when the Bills handed them their first loss of the season, 30-21. Josh Allen had over 300 all-purpose yards and a couple of touchdowns while they forced Patrick Mahomes into two interceptions. They were able to hold Kareem Hunt to just 60 rushing yards and walked out with a huge win.
This would be a big win for Josh Allen who is 7-5 in his postseason career with three of those five losses coming to the Chiefs who he has yet to knock off in the playoffs. If he wants to be seen as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, it really starts this Sunday against Mahomes.
Keys to the Game
The Bills must play a smart game. That seems to be one of the biggest issues when teams take on Mahomes. Bad penalties, roughing the passer calls, and playing soft on Travis Kelce will be poor excuses for why you lose this game. Pressure Mahomes, force a few turnovers and let Josh Allen do what he does.
For the Chiefs, it is taking advantage of a weak Buffalo defense and opening up the passing game. Xavier Worthy has been excellent over the last few weeks. He has 45 plus receiving yards in four straight games and has earned the trust of Mahomes. They should find him and get explosive. For the Bills, just follow the model that they did against Baltimore.
Prediction
Josh Allen has had an issue with the Chiefs in the postseason. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has always dilated up a great gameplan when it comes to slowing down Allen and giving him fits in the postseason. That will be critical here for the Chiefs considering Allen is playing the best year of his career.
At some point, the greats are able to get the monkeys off their backs and I feel like this is the spot where Allen rises and throws the Chiefs out. Buffalo is long starved for a Super Bowl, or at the very least the chance for one. I think it all comes together this year. Bills 28 Chiefs 24