'Bragging Rights!' Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Previews Josh Allen, Bills

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes' comments on the AFC Divisional Round matchup with the Buffalo Bills show there's more than just playoff lives on the line.

Every generation has its clash of titans, and as the days of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning came to a close, it was only a matter of time before the new kids stepped up. The balance of power in the AFC now runs through Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Their most consistent competitor, Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, has already provided the football world with classic matchups.

The next chapter in this rivalry will finally be written in Western New York.

USA Today Sports

Both of the two playoff games between these two teams were played in Kansas City, and Mahomes’ only trip to Buffalo came during the 2020 season, in which no fans were permitted. For the first time, he’ll be facing off against Josh Allen with the impact of Bills Mafia and whatever the weather has in store.

A trip to the AFC Championship Game is on the line, but so are bragging rights between the two superstars.

"Josh is a great dude. I respect the way he plays football and just the guy that he is,” Mahomes said. “When two ultra-competitive guys who are friends off the field go up against each other, we obviously want to win because we want to have a little bit of those bragging rights when we see each other in the offseason."

That competitiveness came out the last time Allen and Mahomes squared off, in Week 14 of this season. Buffalo won 20-17 after receiver Kadarius Toney infamously lined up offsides before a lateral touchdown that may have won Kansas City the game.

Mahomes grew frustrated with the officiating – a controversial no-call on the Chiefs’ final drive making matters worse – and had an outburst of sorts. After yelling at the referees, he shook Allen’s hand, only to continue complaining about the loss.

Mahomes would eventually apologize, both about the officiating and to Allen, and Buffalo’s quarterback empathized, noting the competitiveness they share.

Besides the change in setting, Sunday’s action could take a different shape than most matchups between the two stars. Kansas City’s current defense is the best of the Mahomes era, while the offense has struggled – both through the air and on the ground – and doesn’t pose the same threat most would expect.

'Thank God!' Bills QB Josh Allen Previews Chiefs Matchup

Both of these MVP-caliber passers can completely take over games. Whoever plays better will likely take his team one game closer to the Super Bowl, with the best opposing quarterback knocked out of the tournament.

These are the games fans get nostalgic about, long after the playoff implications – or the bragging rights – matter. Enjoy it.