The Bills and the Ravens seem poised to finally break through

Since 2020, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens have largely played for the right to fall short of the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs

Since 2020, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens have largely played for the right to fall short of the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.

Over the last five seasons, the Bills and Ravens rank second and third, respectively, in wins among AFC teams. However, both squads trail the first-place Chiefs, who have now beaten Buffalo and Baltimore a combined five times in the postseason since 2020. They’ve also made five of the last six Super Bowls.

And yet, while it may appear to be an early-season overreaction, 2025 is truly starting to feel like the year one of the Bills or Ravens finally breaks through and makes their first Super Bowl appearance of the decade.

Josh Allen celebrates during their Week 1 win on Sunday. Michael Owens / Getty ImagesBuffalo is 1-0 after Week 1, courtesy of a come-from-behind victory over Baltimore on "Sunday Night Football." The Ravens were cruising for most of the matchup before the Bills pulled off an improbable comeback. Ultimately, both teams looked much better Sunday than Kansas City did to start its season, which began with a 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil.

The case for Chiefs skepticism really starts with last season. Though Kansas City finished the regular season 15-2, its point differential of +59 was closer to the 6-11 San Francisco 49ers (-47) than it was to either Buffalo or Baltimore, who both finished +157.