Have the Bills ever beaten the Chiefs in the playoffs? All-time record for this AFC rivalry

Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen, round four. The rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills dates back more than half a century, but it's been taken to new heights over the last few years, as two of the very best players in the league have developed a knack for running into each other when the stakes are highest. And lucky for us, they'll do so again on Sunday, when Allen leads the Bills into Arrowhead Stadium to take on Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

For Kansas City, immortality is on the line, just two wins away from a historic third straight Super Bowl title — this one most improbable of all. Buffalo, meanwhile, is still chasing that elusive first ring, and Allen is still chasing the validation that will come with finally, at long last, dethroning Mahomes. This has developed into one of the NFL's best rivalries in recent years, but which franchise holds the all-time edge? Let's break it down.

Bills vs. Chiefs all-time record, postseason history

The rivalry between these two teams dates all the way back to their AFL days in the 1960s. They've met a total of 50 times in the regular season, with Buffalo holding a 28-21-1 edge in the all-time series. The Chiefs and Bills have also met six times in the postseason, most recently in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs just last year. Kansas City has won four of those meetings, with the first coming all the way back in 1966.

That 1966 matchup was a historic one, as the winner went on to face the NFL champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I. The Bills entered as two-time defending champions, a ground-and-pound team that boasted one of the league's best defenses. But behind Hank Stram and his high-flying offense, it was the Chiefs who ruled the day, using two fourth-quarter touchdowns from Mike Garrett to salt away a 31-7 win. (Although Kansas City would get routed in the Super Bowl by Vince Lombardi and Co.)

From there, the rivalry would go dormant, as both teams suffered downturns in the 1970s and 80s. The 1990s brought a resurgence, however, starting in the 1992 AFC Divisional Round, when the Bills would avenge a regular-season loss to Kansas City in a 37-14 win that featured 373 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Jim Kelly. The story would repeat just two years later: The Chiefs looked to have eclipsed Buffalo in the AFC pecking order, having acquired Joe Montana from San Francisco and throttling the Bills during the regular season. But again, it was Buffalo that got the last laugh, as Thurman Thomas rushed for 186 yards and Montana was knocked out of the game in an eventual 30-13 loss.

The two teams wouldn't meet again in the playoffs for nearly 30 years, until Allen and Mahomes faced off in the 2021 AFC Championship Game. It was their third head-to-head meeting overall, having split the first two — including a 26-17 Chiefs win in Buffalo earlier in the regular season. Allen staked the Bills to a 9-0 lead, but it was all Kansas City from there, with three straight touchdowns in the second quarter sparking a 38-24 victory.

Allen and Mahomes would do battle in the playoffs twice more over the next three years, and both were classics. The first was one of the very best games in NFL history, one that will go down in Bills infamy thanks to one simple phrase: 13 seconds, the amount of time that was left on the clock when Allen's touchdown pass to Gabe Davis gave Buffalo a 36-33 lead. But that was still enough time for Mahomes to get the Chiefs in position for a game-tying field goal, and once they won the toss in overtime, the writing was on the wall.

Mahomes dealt the Bills even more heartbreak last season, knocking Buffalo out of the playoffs in the Divisional Round after a potential game-tying field goal from Tyler Bass drifted wide right. But the Bills have come back even stronger this year, with Allen playing the best football of his entire career. Mahomes and the Chiefs have been the glass ceiling they simply haven't been able to break through, but they'll get one more chance on Sunday in Arrowhead.