By The Associated Press
Patrick Mahomes is making his first true road playoff start, and it happens to be against the familiar non-division rival of Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in an AFC divisional round matchup on Sunday night. The teams have split their previous six meetings since 2020, with Kansas City eliminating the Bills in the playoffs in both the 2020 and ‘21 seasons. Buffalo has won six straight in a run that began with a 20-17 victory at Kansas City last month. The matchup features Bills coach Sean McDermott going against mentor Andy Reid. McDermott broke into the NFL on Reid’s first staff in Philadelphia in 1999.
KANSAS CITY (12-6) at BUFFALO (12-6)
Sunday 6:30 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Bills by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Chiefs 11-7; Bills 8-10
SERIES RECORD: Bills lead 29-24-1.
LAST MEETING: Bills beat Chiefs 20-17 at Kansas City on Dec. 10.
LAST WEEK: Chiefs beat Dolphins 26-7; Bills beat Steelers 31-17.
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Chiefs minus-11; Bills plus-2.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Patrick Mahomes. He has never lost in five divisional playoff games, though all of those have been played at Arrowhead Stadium. This will be the first time the two-time NFL MVP hits the road in the postseason. Mahomes won at Highmark Stadium the only time he played there, but that was during the pandemic season of 2020 with no fans in attendance. He also seems to have the Bills’ number, ending their season two of the past three years.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Josh Allen will be asked to carry an even heavier load to offset a defense that could be missing several key starters. Allen is coming off a no-turnover, four-TD game, which included a franchise playoff-record 52-yard scoring run. In two previous playoff meetings — both losses — against the Chiefs, Allen has combined to go 55 of 85 for 616 yards with six TDs and an interception.
KEY MATCHUP: Bills D vs. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. As a result of injuries, it’s yet to be determined who on Buffalo’s depleted defense is going to draw the daunting challenge of covering Kelce. In two playoff meetings, Kelce has 21 catches for 214 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winner in overtime two years ago. Kelce could have been a key factor in the Chiefs’ loss to Buffalo last month. A rare offensive offside penalty on Kadarius Toney wiped out the tight end's lateral to Toney for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.
KEY INJURIES: Chiefs LB Cam Jones (knee) and DT Derrick Nnadi (elbow) missed practice this week, but they could have LT Wanya Morris (concussion) and Toney (hip) available after missing the wild-card game against Miami. ... The Bills’ list is long with starting LB Terrel Bernard (right ankle) and WR Gabe Davis (knee) most unlikely to play, while starting nickelback Taron Johnson faces a six-day turnaround to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol. The status of starting CB Christian Benford (knee), S Taylor Rapp (calf) and LB Baylon Spector (back) will need monitoring. P Sam Martin (left hamstring) is questionable, with Buffalo adding Matt Haack to the practice squad this week. Starting CB Rasul Douglas (knee) and Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) have a chance to return after missing one game.
SERIES NOTES: The teams meet for the seventh time since 2020 — including a third time in the playoffs — with Chiefs hosting the previous five outings. ... The two original American Football League franchises have split their past six, with Kansas City winning both playoff outings: a 38-24 win in the AFC championship game in the 2020 season and a 42-36 overtime win in a divisional round meeting the following season. ... The 2021 loss was notable with Buffalo squandering a three-point lead in the final 13 seconds of regulation. ... The Chiefs are 3-2 against Buffalo in the postseason, with the Bills winning twice in the 1990s.