For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs will play on the road during the NFL playoffs.
Well, sort of.
Since Mahomes, the team’s Hall of Fame-bound quarterback, became their starter, the Chiefs have participated in three postseason games away from their home field: all in the Super Bowl, which is considered a neutral site.
On Sunday night in the AFC divisional round, the Buffalo Bills will host to the defending Super Bowl champions at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Without a doubt, playing in front of the Bills Mafia, Buffalo’s rabid and rowdy table-slamming fan base, the Chiefs will be in hostile territory.
Legendary signal-caller Doug Williams, for one, believes Mahomes will be a playoff road warrior. Williams, the first Black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl and win the game’s MVP award, is eager to watch Mahomes work away from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during the league’s most important time of the year.
“Let me tell you something, Patrick Mahomes can win anywhere,” Williams told Andscape on the phone Tuesday. “With the way Pat plays, with the confidence he has and the confidence those guys [Chiefs players and coaches] have in him, he has the ability to get it done whether they’re at home or on the road.
“Now, there are some guys [quarterbacks] out there who you don’t feel the same way about. There are some guys who don’t give their guys that type of confidence when they step on the field [away from their home fields]. But not Pat. Home or road, it’s the same.”
The numbers support Williams’ position.
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During six seasons as Kansas City’s on-field leader, Mahomes has a road record of 38-11 in the regular season. That’s a stunning .776 winning percentage, the best mark in NFL history among passers who have played at least 14 games on the road. Hall of Famer Otto Graham, who played 36 road games, is second all-time with a .764 winning percentage.
What’s more, Mahomes’ road passer rating of 107.6 also tops the charts. With 119 passing touchdowns outside of Kansas City, Mahomes ranks behind only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Joe Montana, respectively. When you’re on any list with those three, you’re among the game’s best quarterbacks on the road. Well, for that matter, everywhere.
Williams, who has come to know Mahomes well over the years, finds the narrative about Mahomes playing for the first time on the road in the playoffs amusing, “because Pat has played in three Super Bowls and won two of ’em,” Williams said. “What else do you need to know?
“When you win in the playoffs and especially when you win in the Super Bowl, and twice on top of it, we know who you are in those big moments. Pat has already showed us what he’s about. That’s anywhere he plays.”
Again, Williams has receipts to show.
In 15 playoff starts, Mahomes is 12-3. His staggering .800 winning percentage is first on the list among passers who have started at least 10 postseason games. For reference, Brady, the most successful quarterback in NFL history, has a .729 career playoff winning percentage (astonishingly, the illustrious Brady started 48 postseason games – by far the most – in his incredible career). Mahomes’ 105.7 passer rating in the playoffs also is second to none.
“The thing about Pat is, he doesn’t think about anything except what he has to do to win,” Williams said. “The crowd doesn’t bother Pat. No matter where he is, he’s gonna fight to the last minute, last second, whatever time he has to work with.
“And Pat is going to play the same way the whole time. Whether Pat is up, Pat is losing or the game is tied, you’re not going to see anything different from him. You can’t tell what’s going on with him. Home or road, you can’t tell what he’s thinking.”
But make no mistake, Williams said, the Chiefs, who have won eight consecutive AFC West titles, face a formidable challenge against the AFC East champion Bills.
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The Bills won five straight to close the regular season and overtake the Miami Dolphins for first place in their division. After its game in the wild-card round against Pittsburgh was delayed for a day because of inclement weather, Buffalo increased its winning streak to six with a 31-17 victory.
Throughout the Bills’ impressive run, Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen has been on a roll. On Dec. 10, Allen led the visiting Bills to a 20-17 victory over the Chiefs. A rare offside penalty called on Chiefs wideout Kadarius Toney negated his potential game-winning touchdown off a backward pass from tight end Travis Kelce.
Then there’s this: Seemingly, considering the teams’ recent playoff history, the Bills should have additional incentive to end the Chiefs’ season.
Fairly easily, the Chiefs dispatched the Bills in the 2020 AFC championship game with a 38-24 victory. The Chiefs stunned the Bills the next season in the divisional round, winning 42-36 in overtime after the Bills took a 36-33 lead with 13 seconds remaining on the game clock in regulation play.
This season, the Chiefs reached the divisional round after dominating the visiting Dolphins in a wild-card game 26-7. At kickoff, temperatures at Arrowhead Stadium were minus 4 degrees F with a wind chill of minus 27 degrees, making it one of the coldest games played in NFL history, according to research by the Chiefs.
Clearly, the Bills and Chiefs are both built for cold weather.
Because of the crowd, however, the Bills will have a decided home field advantage. Remember: Bills fans are renown for the act of body-slamming into folding tables in the parking lot at Highmark Stadium, including some that have been lit on fire. They’re a different bunch.
But they love their team, and the Chiefs expect Bills fans to be even more hyped than usual in the hope that the Chiefs’ defense of their Super Bowl championship will end in western New York.
Mahomes will be ready, Williams believes.
“Now don’t get me wrong, Buffalo is really good, so it’s gonna be a challenge,” Williams said. “But one thing we know about Pat: He loves challenges.”
Sure does. And for the NFL’s best player, this will be a new one.
