Allen vs. Mahomes Round 8 Set for This Sunday
Last Sunday, the Buffalo Bills took care of business against the Indianapolis Colts, cruising to a 30-20 win to move to 8-2 on the season and maintain a staggering 4.5 game division lead. Their rival, the two-time defending super bowl champion and currently undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, escaped with a 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos to improve to 9-0. This sets up a marquee matchup between these two old foes, etching another chapter in the already storied Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen rivalry.
First, recapping this past weekend, the Bills notched a smooth win over the Colts to win their fifth consecutive game. Allen was mediocre, doubling his season interception total, throwing two of them in this game, but still showed his greatness by throwing for 280 yards, and rushing for 50 more and a touchdown. The Bills defense was the star of the game, wreaking havoc on Colts veteran quarterback Joe Flacco all game long. They intercepted Flacco three times, recovered a Flacco fumble, and sacked him four times. It was clear early on that this would be a rough game for him, as on his first pass he was picked by Taron Johnson, who returned it for the first touchdown of the game. This was a solid win for the Bills, and showed that even when the offense isn’t amazing, the defense can step up and win games for the team.
Moving to the game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Chiefs struggled to get much going against the Broncos offense, and found themselves a play away from losing their first game of the season. After falling behind 14-3 on two Bo Nix touchdown passes, the Chiefs came back to take the lead 16-14 on a 20 yard Harrison Butker field goal with 5:57 remaining. The Broncos responded by driving down the field to the Chiefs 18 yard line. This set up a 35-yard field goal attempt from Broncos kicker Wil Lutz with one second remaining. The Chiefs blocked the kick, giving them the two point victory and keeping their undefeated season alive.
This Sunday at 4:25 p.m., the undefeated Chiefs will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in the marquee matchup of the NFL season thus far. In the regular season, the Bills have owned the Chiefs in the Allen and Mahomes era, with Allen going 3-1 against Mahomes with wins in their past three regular season matchups. In the playoffs, however, it has been a different story, with Mahomes and the Chiefs being 3-0 against Allen and the Bills in postseason matchups, ending Buffalo’s season in the 2021 AFC Championship game, and the 2022 and 2024 AFC Divisional games. As a Bills fan, I am obviously hoping we get the win, but even if we do, I will still be looking ahead to a potential playoff matchup against the Chiefs, After all, the regular season only matters so much, and Allen and Bills must prove they can get by Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs if they ever want to win an ever elusive Super Bowl.