Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. This will be the fourth time these teams have faced each other in the postseason in the last five NFL seasons.
Josh Allen and the Bills are currently 0-3 against the Chiefs in that stretch. Chris Broussard recently talked about how important it is for Mahomes not to allow the Bills to get a win on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Chris Broussard Highlights the Importance of AFCCG for Patrick Mahomes
Broussard discussed the upcoming AFC Championship Game during a recent segment on FS1’s “First Things First.” He knows it’s important for both the quarterbacks to win the game, but since Mahomes is playing at home, he has to get a win to continue being seen as the best quarterback in the league.
“The best quarterback in the world is on the line, unofficially,” Broussard said. “You lose nobody’s killing. You got three Super Bowls, you got two MVPs, and you are still obviously a top two or three quarterback, in everybody’s eye, of all time.
“But two bad, you know, mediocre regular seasons, certainly by your standards, and lose this game, you will lose that unofficial title as best QB in the world, and that is, I know you care about it because you’re a human being.”
.@Chris_Broussard has Patrick Mahomes higher on the BUD List than Josh Allen and @getnickwright is OUTRAGED 🤯
“Here’s why: it’s what I said earlier, best quarterback in the world on the line unofficially.” pic.twitter.com/vwk6WhBVpF
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) January 23, 2025
Indeed, Mahomes hasn’t had success in the past two regular seasons, and many already believe that the likes of Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow are better than him.
However, as evidenced by the last two seasons, the Chiefs quarterback always shows up in the playoffs, which is why he is viewed as the best quarterback in the league despite having mediocre stats in the regular season.
If Allen can get a win against the Chiefs and reach the Super Bowl, it will be tough to crown Mahomes as the undisputed best quarterback in the league. The Bills star has had an MVP-esque season, and although he might not win the award, getting wins over both Mahomes and Jackson on his way to potentially winning a Super Bowl will be huge for his legacy.
Mahomes wasn’t required to do much in the Divisional Round win against the Houston Texans. However, that might be enough against the Bills, and he will be required to be at his best to take his team to a third straight Super Bowl appearance.
Mahomes Hasn’t Thrown an Interception Since the Week 11 Loss vs. Bills
Although the Chiefs started the season 10-0, Mahomes didn’t play well during his team’s unbeaten run. Kansas City eventually lost in Week 11 against the Bills, in which the two-time NFL MVP threw two interceptions.
Since then, Mahomes has been cautious with the ball and hasn’t turned it over once. With Jaylen Watson back healthy, the Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the league, and if their quarterback continues not to make any mistakes, the team will be in a position to win, no matter who the opposition is. This season, has a grade of 84.4 (B), 10th in the NFL, according to PFN’s QB+ metric.
Here’s a comparison of Mahomes’ stats in the first 11 games of the season and the seven games since then:
| Time | Passing Yards / Game | Completion % | Passing TDs / Game | Interceptions / Game | Passer Rating |
| Week 1 – Week 11 | 243 | 69.8 | 1.63 | 1 | 93.2 |
| Week 12 – present | 243 | 64.5 | 1.71 | 0 | 98.2 |
Based on the table above, it can be observed that Mahomes’ stats haven’t shown any significant improvement. The fact that he hasn’t thrown an interception in the last seven games has allowed him not to play hero ball and win games by just being a game-managing quarterback.
The Chiefs star still can make big plays whenever required, but not turning the ball over is key for success in the postseason. In three playoff games against the Bills, Mahomes has thrown for 918 yards, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions, completing 75.2% of his throws with a passer rating of 126.6.
If Mahomes continues his streak of throwing no interceptions, Allen might be forced to play aggressively, which the Chiefs defense can take advantage of. Throughout the season, the Bills quarterback has done a great job of not turning the ball over, but since he doesn’t have as much experience as Mahomes playing in big games, he could revert to his old ways of playing a bit recklessly to help his team win the game.
Notably, last season, the Bills lost to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round after their kicker Tyler Bass missed a field goal. As a result, the team might put more pressure on Allen to lead the offense to get seven points whenever possible instead of settling for field goals.
