Bills-Chiefs is the NFL's best rivalry, and it's not even close

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are meeting in the postseason for the fourth time in the last five years, adding another chapter to the NFL's best and newest rivalry. Since Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen's first meeting as quarterbacks of their teams, the rivalry is split at four wins apiece, but Kansas City is undefeated against Buffalo in the postseason, winning each of the teams' three meetings.

The Bills, on the other hand, have dominated the regular season matchups. Buffalo has beaten Kansas City in each of the last four regular seasons by an average of 8.5 points. No two non-divisional rivals have met more since the decade turned and the rivalry has levels of hype we haven't seen since Tom Brady-Peyton Manning matchups, consistently getting the best TV slots.

Bills
Chiefs

For the AFC pic.twitter.com/gJY0N0LXIK
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 20, 2025

Allen and Mahomes first faced off five years ago, and they've met more in that time frame than Brady and Manning did in the first five years of their rivalry. Fans thought last year was going to be the year the Bills broke through against the Chiefs. For the first time, Buffalo was playing at home in the playoffs in the rivalry, but the result was the same. Kansas City won 27-24 after a Tyler Bass field goal sailed wide right and the Chiefs went on to win their second straight Super Bowl.

If last year didn't work out for the Bills, this year has to. Buffalo is the only team to beat a Kansas City team playing its starters this season, ending their undefeated season by beating the Chiefs 30-21 in Week 11. Allen was all over the field in the November meeting, throwing for 262 yards and a touchdown and running for 55 yards and the game-sealing touchdown with just over two minutes to play.

Despite being able to beat the Chiefs in the regular season, the rivalry feels lopsided. Mahomes has three rings and four Super Bowl appearances to Allen's none, bringing back memories of when Brady was 6-0 against Manning with three rings to Manning's none. Before Manning won his first ring, he had to get through Brady, beating him in the 2006 AFC Championship. Now it's up to Allen to do the same thing.