The Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills will face each other in the NFL playoffs one more time. On Sunday, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will host Josh Allen and company at Arrowhead with a Super Bowl LIX berth up for grabs.
Unlike last year, when the Chiefs had to visit Highmark Stadium in the Divisional Round, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions will get home field advantage. Reid, however, knows that this may not be enough.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the Chiefs head coach acknowledged that while playing at home is an advantage, Allen‘s team can still be seen as favorite heading into the AFC Championship Game. Either way, Reid warned the rest of the NFL that the Chiefs do not care about the odds or outside predictions.
“Well, the fact that we’re at home is a real positive,” Reid said. “We’ve got to play well. Whether we’re favored or not favored, I don’t know — I presume they’ll probably be favored but that’s all right. We do our thing as we go into this, and we don’t worry about all that noise.”
Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The bookmakers actually see the Chiefs as slight favorites to make the Super Bowl this year, which makes sense since they’re playing at home against a team they’ve beaten in their last three playoff meetings.
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The Chiefs’ favorable record against the Bills in recent playoff games
Reid’s men took down Allen’s side in the 2021 AFC Championship Game to reach Super Bowl LV, where Mahomes and company lost to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Chiefs went on to eliminate the Bills from the playoffs two more times.
With Divisional Round wins in the 2022 and 2024 NFL playoffs, Kansas City proved to be an extremely tough opponent for Buffalo. The Bills do know what is like to beat them, but not in the postseason.
Allen’s 4-1 record against Mahomes in the regular season contrasts with the latter’s 3-0 mark in the playoffs, where the Chiefs proved to be dominant. Reid, however, isn’t taking anything for granted.
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Reid knows the Chiefs must bring their A-game against the Bills
“It’s a high level of football, and you have to handle it that way. You get to test yourself, close to the highest level. Besides the Super Bowl, this is the highest level. That’s what it’s all about for coaches and players,” Reid explained.
The Bills emerged victorious the last time they played the Chiefs, claiming a 31-20 home win in Week 11 to end Kansas City’s undefeated start to the 2024 NFL regular season.
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The Chiefs still went on to claim the AFC’s No. 1 seed, which secured them a bye week to the Divisional Round and home field advantage for the postseason. That’s why, even if he believes the odds are against them, Reid knows his team shouldn’t be written off.
