The defending back-to-back National Football League champions made their way to upstate New York on Sunday for another edition of what is already the NFL’s best recent rivalry.
When the Kansas City Chiefs bested the Buffalo Bills in the 2020-21 regular season, and again in the ensuing conference championship, they established themselves as the American Football Conference’s top dog. Undaunted, the Bills exacted their revenge in the 2021-22 regular season, with a dominant three-score win over the Chiefs. But when the two met that postseason, the Chiefs achieved mythic status: 45 yards in 10 seconds, 25 points in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter, an overtime coin toss to rule them all, and Travis Kelce’s walk-off touchdown in the back corner of the endzone.
In the 2022-23 season, the Bills bested the Chiefs 20-17 in their one meeting, although Kansas City ended up winning the Super Bowl that year. In the 2023-24 season, Buffalo dispatched of the Chiefs once again, only to fall to those very same Chiefs by a score of 27-24 a month later in the playoffs. Kansas City went on to win their second consecutive Super Bowl.
Sunday’s matchup between two of the AFC’s founding franchises was another great entry in the series. Viewers received another duel between two juggernauts with two premier quarterbacks and two feature fanbases. Buffalo managed the 30-21 victory, saddling the nine-win Chiefs with their first loss of the season. While the Bills proved the top dogs aren’t invincible, they also proved the Chiefs have reason to be confident.
Now is not the time to sell on the Chiefs three-peat. They’ve entered the second half of the season remarkably healthy, with only two starters temporarily inactive. Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is slowly returning to form after an underwhelming start. The Kansas City defense, fresh off one of the best single seasons in NFL history last year, is only getting better.
With a promising young receiver like Xavier Worthy under the wing of the veteran pass-catcher DeAndre Hopkins, the Chiefs receiving corps is playoff-ready. Tight end Travis Kelce, though aging, is still an elite route runner, giving Kansas City late-game options out wide. The postseason will likely bring the Chiefs’ best targets at wide receiver back from long-term inactivity: the elite youngster Rashee Rice and the speedy Marquise Brown are both expected to have recovered from their respective surgeries come late January.
Greatest of all, the Chiefs carry the unteachable intangible: experience. That is how they have been able to send the Bills packing in all three consecutive playoff matchups . With Andy Reid at coach and veteran Chiefs on the offensive and defensive lines, Kansas City isn’t likely to be upset by a newcomer. In the postseason, it’s going to take a team that can match their poise in order to beat them. The Bills could be that team, but given the recent history between the two, there’s no reason to believe the Chiefs won’t rebound.
Over the past five years, the Chiefs have distinguished themselves from the rest of the NFL as uniquely strong, and the Bills are right there beside them. Yes, the Bills deserve recognition for their win on Sunday, and Bills fans have every right to be excited — but don’t lose sight of the Chiefs. They’re more than capable of winning it all — again.