The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have played each other in championship games dating all the way back to the 1960s. Let’s take a look at this long-standing playoff rivalry.
2024 AFC Championship Game
The Bills and Chiefs are set to play the 2024 AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 26, 2025. The game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
2020 AFC Championship Game
The 2020 AFC Championship Game featured the Buffalo Bills at the Kansas City Chiefs. The game carried the legacy and tradition of the original AFL teams. Both franchises won multiple AFL championships.
The 2020 AFC Championship Game was played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Bills jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter after a field goal and a touchdown. Buffalo missed the extra point after the touchdown. Although those special teams mistakes often decide games, ultimately the missed PAT didn’t make much difference.
Kansas City exploded in the second quarter, scoring 21 points. The Chiefs led 21-9 after the outburst. Bills kicker Tyler Bass hit a field goal with seconds left in the first half, making the halftime score 21-12.
Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City to a field goal at the start of the third quarter, giving the Chiefs a 24-12 advantage. Josh Allen responded by leading the Bills to their own field goal but Kansas City scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession. By the end of the third quarter, the Chiefs led 31-15 and soon bolstered that lead to 38-15 in the fourth. The final score was 38-24.
The win earned Kansas City the right to play Tampa Bay in Super Bowl 55. Tampa Bay pounded the Chiefs, 31-9, for Tom Brady’s seventh Super Bowl title.
1993 AFC Championship
Kansas City played at Buffalo for the 1993 AFC Championship. The Bills had won the last three AFC Championship Games. Kansas City acquired Super Bowl legends Joe Montana and Marcus Allen and hoped to vault over the Bills reign of the AFC.
Buffalo’s superstar running back Thurman Thomas had other plans, however, and his three touchdowns gave the Bills an unprecedented fourth consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. Thomas gained a remarkable 186 yards rushing in the game played at Rich Stadium in Buffalo. He added another 22 yards receiving to gain over 200 yards from scrimmage in the contest. Thomas shared memories of the Bills four Super Bowls and other highlights of his pro and college football career on The Game Before the Money Podcast.
Head coach Marv Levy landed the Bills in their fourth straight Super Bowl, a streak that remains unmatched in NFL history. He spoke about those great Bills teams and the Bills no-huddle offense in an episode of The Game Before the Money Podcast.
1966 AFL Championship
The 1993 AFC Championship wasn’t the first time Buffalo and Kansas City played for a chance at the Super Bowl.
The Bills and Chiefs battled for the American Football League championship on January 1, 1967 for a berth in Super Bowl 1.
The Bills had won the last two consecutive American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965. The AFL and NFL announced a merger in the summer of 1966. The leagues’ respective champions would meet to determine the World Champion in what was originally called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
The Chiefs found good fortune early in the chilly mist of Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium, as the Bills fumbled the opening kickoff. Kansas City quarterback Len Dawson tossed a touchdown pass to tight end Fred Arbanas. The Chiefs led 7-0.
Buffalo countered with a touchdown of their own, as quarterback Jack Kemp hit receiver Elbert Dubenion on a 69-yard catch and run.
Hear Bills DE Ron McDole share stories about the Bills AFL championships!
Otis Taylor broke the tie in the second quarter with a 29-yard touchdown reception. A key play came later in the second quarter, as Chiefs Hall of Fame defensive back Johnny Robinson interception a Jack Kemp pass and returned it over 70 yards. Kansas City capitalized with a field goal before the end of the first half to lead 17-7 at halftime.
Former USC Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett scored 2 touchdowns for Kansas City in the fourth quarter. His second touchdown was a remarkable 18-yard run through a swarming Bills defense that chased Garrett from one sideline to the other. Garrett stayed on his feet in the muddy conditions, circling back all the way near the Bills 30 before cutting to his right and dashing toward the goal line. Garrett’s gallop made the score 31-7, which was the final.
Photos: The 1966 AFL Championship Game
The Kansas City Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I. The Packers won 35-10. The name “Super Bowl” was thought up by Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt. Hunt played college football at SMU with two future NFL stars, one who was a member of the Packers. The Chiefs won Super Bowl 4 against the Minnesota Vikings.
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Looking for a great American Football League history book? Check out The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL. The book features stories from legendary AFL and NFL players. Available at — Amazon.com – Barnes and Noble – University of Nebraska Press
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