Sometimes the biggest obstacle in life is also the one that persists the longest.
Before winning their first championship in 1991, Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls had to make four trips past their rival team, the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons. The Colts led by Peyton Manning famously required three postseason matchups against the New England Patriots led by Tom Brady to overcome him and get to their first Super Bowl in Indianapolis.The Buffalo Bills, led by Josh Allen, are looking for the same outcome. On Sunday, they take on the Kansas City Chiefs, who have terminated their season in two of the previous three years. And this time, the Bills will host the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, rather than having to fly to Kansas City.
Football fans who follow semi-recent NFL history will quickly draw comparisons to the 2000s Brady-Manning rivalry. Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Chiefs, is accepting the challenge after noticing the parallels.
According to Mahomes, “We’ve played in a lot of big games,” on Wednesday. “I look forward to the task. I have a lot of memories from watching those [Brady-Manning] games as a child, and maybe we can play in these fantastic games too and leave a legacy for the children that come up after us.”Mahomes plays Brady again in this contemporary setting, the two-time Super Bowl champion hoping to maintain his superiority over an AFC opponent. Allen is Manning, who similarly required the rivalry to move to his home stadium in order to defeat Brady’s Patriots in an exciting manner.It seemed as though the Colts had defeated Goliath when they defeated the Patriots. Though they’re not nearly the same monster, the Chiefs still pose a significant threat. The reigning Super Bowl champions recently defeated Buffalo’s AFC East foe, Miami, in a very convincing manner at Arrowhead Stadium in bitterly cold weather.
In contrast, Allen’s Bills have experienced some ups and downs along the way, but in the previous six games—all of which Buffalo has won—the situation has improved. They are looking to carry their hot streak to victory over the Chiefs, a team they have trounced in the regular season and enjoy a 3-1 record in Allen vs. Mahomes matches, even though the football isn’t the most visually appealing.
Allen and Mahomes are more than just rivals, unlike the conflict between Jordan’s Bulls and Isiah Thomas’ Pistons, or even Brady’s Patriots and Manning’s Colts. They really are close buddies. And because they are both fiercely competitive people, they would both want nothing more than to beat the other.
“When you compete against your friends, you almost want to win even more because of it,” Mahomes stated. “Josh is one awesome guy. I admire both the man and the way he plays football. But when two fiercely competitive guys who are also buddies off the field face off, it goes without saying that we both want to win. We get to hang out during the off-season, and you want to share in the glory a little bit.”
This time around, Mahomes’ first postseason game will be played away from Kansas City or at a neutral site thanks to Allen’s Bills’ home-field advantage. That in and of itself will be difficult, given how effectively the Bills play at Highmark Stadium (8-1 at home this season, including in the playoffs).
