Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills (5-2) welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) to Highmark Stadium later this afternoon for a 4:25 p.m. EST battle of Super Bowl contenders with a lot of history.
Before Sunday’s Game of the Week, let’s revisit the series history, relive some of the more memorable matchups, break down those common connections, and go through the list of players who played for both teams. Hint: there are 69 players who saw action for both the Bills and Chiefs.
This matchup features two storied franchises with ties to the early days of the American Football League (AFL). Buffalo was one of the inaugural members of the AFL in 1960, as were the Dallas Texans, who relocated to Kansas City and became the Chiefs after winning the 1962 AFL title.
The Bills and Chiefs have met 57 times before, with Buffalo holding a 30-26-1 edge in the all-time series. The Bills have won the last four regular-season matchups against their AFC West counterparts, but have been eliminated in the playoffs by the Chiefs in four of the last five seasons, most recently including a 32-29 heart breaker in the 2024 AFC title game.
Quarterback Josh Allen completed 22-of-34 passes for 237 yards with two touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 39 yards, and running back James Cook ran for 85 yards with a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries. Wide receivers Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel each caught touchdown passes for the Bills, who took a 22-21 third-quarter lead when James Cook finished off an acrobatic run by extending into the end zone three minutes into the quarter.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes scored on a 10-yard run and completed the two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Justin Watson for a 29-22 lead 4:46 into the fourth, but Allen and the Bills responded by marching 70 yards in nine plays, capped by Allen’s four-yard touchdown to Samuel on 4th & Goal.
The Chiefs took a 32-29 lead on kicker Harrison Butker’s 35-yard field goal, but Allen and the Bills had a chance to drive downfield for the tying or go-ahead score. However, Buffalo turned the ball over on downs when Allen’s desperation heave to tight end Dalton Kincaid that sailed through Kincaid’s hands and the Bills were denied their first trip back to the Super Bowl since the 1993 season.
The last time these teams met in Buffalo was Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season, and the Bills brought an 8-2 record into the showdown while the Chiefs were perfect at 9-0. The Bills knocked the Chiefs from the ranks of the undefeated, 30-21 before a raucous Highmark Stadium crowd.
Leading 23-21 and facing a 4th & 2 late in the fourth quarter, Josh Allen pulled off perhaps the play of the regular season, bouncing off of two Chiefs defenders before scoring a back-breaking 26-yard touchdown to put the Bills up 30-21.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard sealed the win by picking off Patrick Mahomes on Kansas...
