(Orchard Park) After seeing their 2020 and 2021 seasons end in Kansas City with playoff losses, the Buffalo Bills will host the Chiefs on Sunday evening, in a second round confrontation.
This will be a first road playoff game for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
This will also be the first time Mahomes will hear the roar of the crowd at Highmark Stadium. His only other game in Buffalo was in an empty stadium in 2020, due to pandemic restrictions.
“It’s going to be hostile and people are going to throw insults at me and stuff, but I’m excited because it’s one of the best environments in football,” Mahomes said. When you’re smaller, you want to experience that kind of atmosphere. »
Although the teams were 11-6 during the regular season, Buffalo won the tiebreaker with a 20-17 victory at Arrowhead Stadium in December.
It was the first of six consecutive victories for the Bills, including Monday against Pittsburgh in the first round.
Bills coach Sean McDermott’s first job in the NFL was as an assistant to current Chiefs coach Andy Reid with Philadelphia in 1999.
“He’s smart, he’s tough and he works hard,” Reid said of McDermott.
McDermott holds no hard feelings for Reid’s decision to fire him as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator after the 2010 season.
“I think it strengthened my work ethic,” said McDermott, who then spent six years in charge of the Panthers’ defense before Buffalo hired him in 2017. “In some ways, I’m extremely happy with it. grateful. »
The two clubs have divided the honors of six matches, including in the playoffs, since 2020.
“There are no secrets,” summed up Chiefs tackle Chris Jones.
PHOTO MATT DURISKO, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen
Regardless of the context, Bills quarterback Josh Allen is aware of the difficulty of beating the defending Super Bowl champions.
“They are at the top of the mountain. They know what it takes to get there, said Allen, whose only AFC championship game ended in a 38-24 loss at Kansas City in January 2021. As a competitor, being in a situation like this is something you dream of. »
After getting a touchdown on 71% of their attempts inside the opposing 20 last season, the Chiefs have only gotten one 52% of the time this season.
Against Miami in the first round, the Chiefs reached the pay zone twice in six breakthroughs in the “red zone”. Harrison Butker provided four field goals.
“It’s probably several factors,” Reid said. We all have a part of responsibility in this. You obviously want touchdowns. I love Butker and he does a phenomenal job, but you want to get to the end zone. »