Allen and Mahomes renew play-off rivalry as Chiefs chase 'three-peat'

NFL Conference Championships

Date: 26 January 2025

BBC coverage: Live text coverage of both games on the BBC Sport website and app, and live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds of the Washington Commanders at the Philadelphia Eagles (from 20:00 GMT)

There are just two games left before Super Bowl 59 and the Kansas City Chiefs' bid for NFL immortality remains alive.

Last season they became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Tom Brady's New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005.

That was the Chiefs' third Super Bowl win in five years, something only three other teams have done.

No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls though.

Kansas City are the number one seed in the AFC Conference so earned a bye for the first week of the play-offs, returning to action with a Divisional Round victory over the Houston Texans last week.

Now they host the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's AFC Championship game (23:30 GMT), meaning quarterback Patrick Mahomes will renew his rivalry with Josh Allen, who is favourite to be named this season's Most Valuable Player.

Yet it is the Philadelphia Eagles, who the Chiefs beat in Super Bowl 57, who are favourites to become NFL champions in New Orleans on 9 February.

They are the NFC's number two seed and host Sunday's other Conference Championship game against this season's surprise package, the Washington Commanders (20:00 GMT).

Eight teams have previously won successive Super Bowls and five of them reached the play-offs the following season.

Two were knocked out in the Divisional Round, while the other three lost in the Conference Championships.

That means Kansas City have already gone as far as anybody else in pursuit of an unprecedented 'three-peat' – and have gone the closest since the Dallas Cowboys in the 1994 season.

Dallas beat Buffalo in their back-to-back Super Bowl wins, ending an agonising run for the Bills. They reached four straight Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994 and lost them all.

Buffalo have not been back since, while Kansas City have played in four of the past five, but even if the Chiefs return this year, the Bills will still hold the record for most consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

Since being drafted in 2018, Josh Allen has helped turn Buffalo into play-off regulars again, with this their sixth straight post-season campaign.

The trouble is, Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and the Chiefs have proved their nemesis, knocking them out of the play-offs in three of the past four years.

The head-to-head record for Allen and Mahomes is 4-4 but all Buffalo's wins have come in the regular season.

The highlight of their rivalry was their Divisional Round clash in 2022, one of the greatest play-off games ever. In the final two minutes the lead changed hands three times with 25 points scored, before the Chiefs won 42-36 in overtime.

That was the first of three straight Divisional Round exits for Buffalo, but having returned to the Conference Championships, the Bills Mafia - as their fans are known - and many neutrals feel this could be their year.

"I think America wants the Bills to win," Washington's British defensive end Efe Obada told BBC Sport. "I think they're tired of Kansas City.

"They have their own rivalry going on so that's going to be an amazing game."

As a dual-threat quarterback, Allen has always had huge arm strength and can run the ball, but this season the 28-year-old has become far more efficient and is protecting the ball better.

That's helped Buffalo become the NFL's second-highest scorers with a record of 13 wins and four defeats, including wins over the two teams with the league's best record (15-2) - Detroit and Kansas City. Then last week Buffalo beat Baltimore and Allen's main rival for the MVP award, Lamar Jackson.

This season the Chiefs have made a habit of winning ugly. They have snatched victory in several tight games, giving them the lowest point differential by a team with 14+ wins (+59).

But they are also on a streak of 16 straight wins in one-score games - an NFL record - which suggests they are far more than just 'lucky'.

They also save their best for the play-offs, as Travis Kelce showed again last week. The tight end had 117 receiving yards against Houston, his most in a game all season, and passed legendary receiver Jerry Rice for most post-season receptions (165). Kelce is also close to Rice's records for most post-season receiving touchdowns (19 to 22) and yards (1,903 yards to 2,245 yards).

Detroit were the NFC's number one seed but were upset by the sixth seed Washington last week, losing 45-31 at home.

That handed Philadelphia home-field advantage for the NFC Championship game and means the Eagles have replaced the Lions as favourites to win the Super Bowl.

Philly had a 14-3 record, with only Baltimore rushing for more yards and Saquon Barkley being the individual rushing leader with 2,005 yards.

He got 205 more in last week's win over the Los Angeles Rams, plus two touchdowns, but Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts picked up a knee injury so has been limited in practice this week.

"Saquon is a once-in-a-lifetime running back, so we've got to get rid of their running game and make them throw the ball," said Obada, who is currently on Washington's practice squad.

As divisional rivals, Philadelphia and Washington faced each other twice in the regular season, winning one apiece.

After being selected second in last year's draft, quarterback Jayden Daniels and new head coach Dan Quinn have helped transform the Commanders' record from 4-13 last season to 12-5. It is the first time Washington have gone so deep into the play-offs since winning the Super Bowl in 1991.

Daniels, 24, is firm favourite for rookie of the year having set rookie records for rushing yards (891) and pass completion (69%). He is only the sixth rookie quarterback to make it this far and aims to be the first to reach the Super Bowl.

And like the Chiefs, Washington have developed a knack for winning tight games. They are on a seven-game winning streak, with five of them won on the game's last play, including their first play-off win in 19 years.

"We're just going to ride on that momentum," Obada added. "Momentum is huge in games like this. We're still seen as the underdog but that generally works in our favour."