While a three-peat seemed unlikely when the season started, the scene is beginning to look all too familiar. For the fifth time in six years, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs watched the red and yellow confetti rain down while they raised the Lamar Hunt trophy. The Buffalo Bills also faced a familiar outcome: losing to the Chiefs in the playoffs.
The entire game felt like deja vu for NFL fans. While analysts argue every year that it may finally be time for the Bills to make it, the Chiefs always find a way to get there first. This time, the Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2023 Super Bowl rematch.
Another Matchup
For yet another year, the Chiefs defeated the Bills. While this streak seemed likely to end during the regular season, the Chiefs always find a way to win big games in the playoffs.
Both Josh Allen and Mahomes battled until the very end, and both quarterbacks brought their A-games. The Bills even found a way to control Travis Kelce and keep him from reaching the end zone. Even after everything, the Bills still found themselves losing.
To date, Allen is 0-4 on the road in the playoffs. While he will presumably win the MVP award, he will not add a Super Bowl ring to that awards cabinet. The Bills will look forward to another year and probably another matchup with the Chiefs in the playoffs.
The Rematch
Instead of facing the underdogs in the Washington Commanders, the Chiefs will have to face the NFC No. 2 seed, the Eagles. Both teams faced off after the 2022 season in Arizona, but both teams are coming into this game with much different squads.
While the Chiefs have relied on Patrick Mahomes to run the ball in certain situations, the Eagles rely on their future Offensive Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley. After leaving the New York Giants in free agency, Barkley returned to his college and pre-injury self, totaling over 2,000 yards this season. Stopping Barkley is going to be a huge test for the Chiefs defense. In this game, the Chiefs defense gave up 85 rushing yards to James Cook. While Cook is certainly one of the best running backs in the game, he is definitely not as explosive as Barkley.
Rushing Works
One of the biggest reasons the Chiefs won was Mahomes's rushing efforts. Mahomes scored twice on the ground, and Kareem Hunt scored once.
Although Cook did bear most of the weight, the Bills probably should've rushed the ball more. While Allen totaled more yards in this game than he did against the Baltimore Ravens, he came away with two touchdowns in the Divisional Round.
Simply Better
At the end of the day, the Chiefs were just simply better than the Bills. Mahomes took advantage of every opportunity in a way that Allen just didn't. Mahomes also left one of his best games for one of the most important games, with his second-highest QBR of the season. Xavier Worthy was also an important factor in the game, with 85 yards and a touchdown.
While Allen was dealing, his team made quite a few mistakes. The most glaring one was Dalton Kincaid's dropped pass. With a catch there, the Bills had the chance to take the lead and stop the Chiefs from getting the ball back in the end zone. With the drop, however, the Chiefs took over on downs and ended the game a few snaps later.
Up Next: Super Bowl LIX Against the Eagles
The Chiefs' most anticipated game of the year will be on February 9th in New Orleans. They will face the Eagles in a Super Bowl LVII rematch.
Final Score: Chiefs 32, Bills 29
Jones' Three Stars
1st Star - Patrick Mahomes
18/26, 1 passing TD, 2 rushing TDs, 245 yards
2nd Star - Xavier Worthy
6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD
3rd Star - Kareem Hunt
17 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD
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