The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills for the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26. Patrick Mahomes and Co. secured the No. 1 seed with a 15-2 record and received a bye in the Wild Card Round. They knocked out the Houston Texans in the Divisional round.
The Bills finished the regular season with a 13-4 record. They dominated the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round and fought a hard battle against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. But, a Mark Andrews fumble in the final minutes gave Buffalo the final push to the AFC Championship Game.
Here are the voices you can expect to hear when the Chiefs chase their three-peat dream at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
Announcers for Chiefs vs. Bills
- Lead Play-by-Play Announcer: Jim Nantz
- Color Commentators: Tony Romo
- Sideline Reporters: Tracy Wolfson
The Chiefs vs. Bills matchup will feature Jim Nantz as the lead play-by-play announcer. Nantz joined CBS in 1985 and has been with the media powerhouse for nearly four decades. He called his seventh Super Bowl last year when Patrick Mahomes and Co. took home the trophy.
Nantz is one of the most iconic voices in sports. The 65-year-old held the microphone for the Final Four until last season and has called the Masters each April since 1989. Tony Romo will join him as the color analyst for the game.
The Dallas Cowboys legend is a four-time Pro Bowler. After being their quarterback for 14 years, Romo swapped the helmet with the mic. He has earned praise from critics and fans for his predictions and analysis from the studio.
Nantz and Romo have the second-longest tenure of any broadcast duo, as it is their eighth season together. Romo garners the most attention and fanfare, as he has shown a unique enthusiasm for the game and an ability to predict plays in real-time before they happen.
CBS’s top NFL team has broadcast three Super Bowls together, including last year’s overtime thriller between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
Tracy Wolfson is one of the most respected names in broadcasting, too. She worked at various other stations for several years before joining CBS Sports in 1997 as a researcher. Wolfson was assigned to major sporting events, including U.S. Open Tennis, the 1997 NCAA Final Four, and the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.
Wolfson has been the sideline reporter for the main CBS broadcast team since the 2014 season. Before taking on the role, Wolfson was on the sidelines for the CBS SEC Game of the Week for 10 years.
Wolfson has been the lead sideline reporter for the Final Four since the 2008 season. She has also worked in several NFL postseason contests, with the most prominent being Super Bowl 47, Super Bowl 50, Super Bowl 53, Super Bowl 55, and Super Bowl 58.
Chiefs vs. Bills Game Preview
- Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kanas City
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Streaming: CBS/Paramount+
In the Super Bowl era, the Bills and Chiefs are the fifth pair of teams to face each other in the playoffs four times within a five-season span. The Chiefs could become the first team to play in the Super Bowl while seeking a Super Bowl three-peat.
The Bills lead the league in turnover margin this season, including the playoffs, at +27. Buffalo has maintained an even or positive turnover margin in 21 consecutive games dating back to last season, tying the 1952-53 Rams for the longest streak since turnovers became an official stat in 1933.
On the other side, the Chiefs have gone eight straight games without a turnover, the longest streak since turnovers became an official stat in 1933.
Josh Allen is one of the league’s best quarterbacks against the blitz. Including the playoffs, he averages the second-highest EPA(Expected Points Added) per dropback (0.30) when blitzed, with 16 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions.
However, the Chiefs excel at blitzing effectively. Including the playoffs, Kansas City blitzes at the ninth-highest rate in the league (30%) and ranks 10th in pressure rate (44%) when sending extra rushers.
The Bills have been one of the league’s best defenses on early downs this season, ranking fifth in EPA per play (0.08) on first and second down. However, their performance drops significantly on third down, where they rank 31st in EPA per play (-0.26) and have allowed the fifth-highest third-down conversion rate (44%).
That’s an ominous sign against a Chiefs offense that thrives on third downs. Kansas City ranks fourth in third down conversion rate (47.9%) and fourth in EPA per play (0.22) on third down. Conversely, they only rank 15th in EPA per play on first and second down (-0.02).
In two playoff games against the Chiefs, Allen has posted QB+ scores of 86.6 (B) in 2021 and 74.8 (C) in 2023. Meanwhile, Mahomes has earned QB+ scores of 86.9 (B) in 2021 and 79.0 (C+) in 2023 in two postseason games against the Bills.
Many fans (and Houston Texans players) were frustrated with the officiating in Kansas City’s Divisional Round win. Since 2018, the Chiefs have received nine roughing-the-passer calls in the playoffs (including the Will Anderson Jr. call on Saturday), while the rest of the NFL combined has totaled 18 such calls, with no other team receiving more than two.
Kansas City has now made seven consecutive Conference Championship appearances — only the New England Patriots had more in a row (eight from 2011-18) in NFL history.
PFN’s Playoff Predictor gives the Bills a 50.7% chance of winning this game while the Chiefs have 49.3% odds, showing just how close this game should be.
