There are only three games left in the NFL season: the two conference championship games and Super Bowl LIX on February 9th at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Next Sunday, the first game of the day will be the NFC matchup, with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Washington Commanders. The Commanders haven’t made it to this stage since 1991, when they won Super Bowl XXVI against the Buffalo Bills, the second of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Bills in the early ’90s. Meanwhile, the Eagles will be looking to secure their third Super Bowl appearance in the last eight seasons, having won against Tom Brady’s Patriots in 2017 and lost to the Chiefs in 2022, and of course they’ll be looking for revenge with them.
The second game is the AFC showdown, marking the fourth time in the last five years that the Bills and Chiefs have met in the playoffs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have won all three previous meetings. Without a doubt, this is the most evenly matched game. Earlier this year, in Week 11, the Bills beat the Chiefs 30-21 at home. In their last 10 meetings, including the playoffs, both teams have won five games, scored 251 points and allowed 251 points, which is pretty even, right? The slight difference is that the Chiefs are undefeated against the Bills in the playoffs – and against almost anyone since Mahomes became the starter. With the win over the Texans, Mahomes is now 16-3 in the playoffs, tied with Joe Montana for second all-time in playoff wins by a quarterback, but still a long way from Tom Brady’s record of 35.
Controversy Surrounding Referees and the Chiefs
The Chiefs are undoubtedly the team to beat, not only because they are chasing the first three-peat in NFL history, but also because the league’s “villains” have many fans tired of seeing Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and also Taylor Swift in the spotlight all the time. The biggest criticism they face is that the referees allegedly help them in crucial moments, whether it benefits their offense or defense. While this may seem true given how often controversy swirls around them – likely because they are constantly in those pivotal moments – the reality is that the numbers tell a different story. Tavia Hunt, the wife of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, made this clear on Instagram, posting a stat with the caption, “Sorta hurts the ‘referee’ narrative!!”
According to the X account “The 33rd Team,” the Chiefs have ranked first in total penalty yards since 2018. While that could be because they’ve played the most games since 2018, Hunt likely shared it to silence players like Joe Mixon, C.J. Stroud, and Texans coaches who, while not explicitly, implied after the game that they were ready to take on not only the Chiefs, but the referees and their calls. There were some questionable calls in this game that favored the Chiefs, such as the roughing the passer penalty on Will Anderson Jr. But that wasn’t the reason the Texans lost to the Chiefs for the second time in a month. The real reason was the Chiefs’ defense, the team’s strongest asset, which sacked Stroud eight times, along with two missed kicks by Ka’imi Fairbairn and a blocked field goal.
Let’s hope the officiating doesn’t affect the outcome of Sunday’s game, as it’s expected to be as thrilling as the 2020 Divisional Round matchup, which featured three touchdowns and a field goal in the final two minutes of the game! That game was undoubtedly an instant classic, and while the rosters for both teams are very different heading into this matchup, the two main stars (Mahomes and Allen) continue to amaze us week in and week out. This will be Mahomes’ seventh AFC Championship Game in seven years as a starter, while it will be Josh Allen’s second.