Bills hope home field gives them edge
As much respect Josh Allen has for friend and occasional offseason golf partner Patrick Mahomes, the Buffalo Bills quarterback still can’t forget when his Kansas City Chiefs rival got the last laugh at his expense.
The two were teammates in a madefor-tv golf event in June 2022 when Mahomes was asked to describe Allen’s biggest fear. Pausing for a moment, Mahomes said, “A coin toss,” causing Allen to smile and lower his head.
The Kansas City quarterback, of course, was referring to the Chiefs’ 42-36 overtime victory in a 2021 season AFC divisional-round game that Bills fans have dubbed “13 Seconds.” That’s the amount of time it took Mahomes to march the Chiefs 44 yards to set up a tying field goal as time expired, after which Kansas City won the coin toss and ended the game with a touchdown on the first overtime possession.
Tonight, the Bills (12-6) and Chiefs (12-6) will meet in the playoffs for the third time in four years and once again in the divisional round, and the past is the last thing on Allen’s mind.
“We don’t need to bring that up,” Allen said Wednesday. “I’m sure people
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. >> will bring up what I’m afraid of but, nah, I got a lot of respect for him and his game and who he is off the field.”
At least two things have changed since the last Bills-chiefs playoff meeting.
The Bills’ loss prompted the NFL to change its postseason overtime rules to ensure both teams get a possession.
After having their 2020 and 2021 seasons end at Arrowhead Stadium with playoff losses, it’s the Bills’ turn to host the Chiefs in what will be Mahomes’ first playoff road game. It will
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“Even though I know it’s going to be hostile and there are going to be people talking trash and everything like that, I’m excited for it because it’s one of the best environments in football,” Mahomes said. “And you want to do that when you grow up watching these games in the best environments and see what it’s like.”