The key to the Bills beating the Chiefs in the playoffs is not what — or who — you think

Buffalo's defense, led by new pass-rusher Nick Bosa, showed the blueprint Sunday to defeating Patrick Mahomes. Will it carry over into the postseason?

Whenever the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs square off, the game is typically billed as a rivalry between two of the game’s great quarterbacks: Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

It’s the rightful framing, considering the two signal callers have combined to win three regular season MVPs while delivering multiple shootouts in the playoffs — where the Chiefs have a 4-0 record against the Bills since the 2020 season.

What Buffalo showed in its 28-21 win over Kansas City on Sunday, however, is that it's not Allen who needs to deliver a monster performance to finally knock out Mahomes in the postseason.

Instead, it’s the Bills’ defense that can finally tip the scales in their favor come playoff time.

Buffalo absolutely stymied Mahomes on Sunday, forcing him into his worst game of the season. Mahomes finished 15 of 34 for 226 yards and an interception in the loss. Not only was it the lowest passer rating (57.2) he’s posted this season, but it was also the worst single-game completion percentage (44.1%) of his career.