https://sports.yahoo.com/championship-sunday-first-look-josh-032902517.html
Fourth time’s the charm?
The Buffalo Bills secured a spot in the AFC championship game with a 27-25 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, setting up a fourth postseason meeting between Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen and his Kansas City counterpart, Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is 3-0 against the Bills in the playoffs since 2020, including twice in the divisional round and once in the championship game. During the regular season, Allen has beaten Mahomes four times — more than any other NFL quarterback has beaten the Mahomes-led Chiefs.
At stake is a trip to the Super Bowl, where the Bills haven’t been since making four straight trips from the 1990 through ’93 seasons.
The Bills and Chiefs square off at Arrowhead Stadium in the late game Sunday, after Washington plays at Philadelphia for the NFC title.
Read more: Saquon Barkley continues to make history with one of the greatest seasons ever
Buffalo narrowly beat the Ravens to complete a 10-0 record at home.
During his postgame interview on CBS, Allen gave a shout-out to his teammates on the other side of the ball.
“How about that Buffalo Bills defense,” he said. “All year this team has heard we got no talent, we’re too small, we can’t stop the run, we’re not good enough to compete. We just put our head down and work hard.”
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are looking to become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. This year, the game will be played Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
NFC: No. 6 Washington at. No. 2 Philadelphia
This will be the third meeting between these NFC East rivals, with each team winning the matchup at home during the regular season.
Running back Saquon Barkley, who Sunday topped 200 yards rushing against the Rams for the second time this season, is the most dangerous weapon in Philadelphia’s arsenal. The Washington Commanders know this, as Barkley rushed for 150 and 146 yards against them this season.
The Commanders are led by spectacular rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is supremely cool under pressure.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts suffered an undisclosed injury to his left leg in Sunday’s game and indicated afterward that he’s confident he will be able to play against the Commanders.
In the most recent game between the teams, Hurts sustained a concussion in the first quarter and was replaced by backup Kenny Pickett. The Commanders wound up winning.
This game marks the return to Philadelphia of Commanders owner Josh Harris, who also owns the Philadelphia 76ers.
AFC: No. 2 Buffalo at No. 1 Kansas City
These teams met in Week 11 and the Bills handed the Chiefs their first of two losses this season. Buffalo won, 30-21, and James Cook ran for a pair of touchdowns.
The Bills led that game by two points with just more than two minutes remaining. Instead of kicking a short field goal, Buffalo went for it on fourth down and reaped the benefits. Allen dropped back, then stepped forward and tore through the defense, breaking multiple tackles on his way to a 26-yard touchdown run.
“They made the plays when they needed to,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said in Week 11. “It’s a great game to learn from for some of our young guys. When two good teams play each other, the margin between winning and losing is small.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
https://sports.yahoo.com/championship-sunday-first-look-josh-032902517.html
