Patrick Mahomes’s skyrocketing career has placed Kansas City atop the A.F.C., after Peyton Manning retired and Tom Brady’s departure from the New England Patriots created a void. A win against Buffalo could advance Kansas City in the championship game for the fourth consecutive season. While an impressive feat, the Patriots hold the remarkable record, having reached the game eight times between 2011 and 2018.
Kansas City lost to the Patriots, 37-31, in the 2018 A.F.C. championship in overtime at home, a close game they could have won in regulation had linebacker Dee Ford not lined up offsides before Brady threw a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.