Patrick Mahomes has helped the Kansas City Chiefs become a dynasty and to do it, he’s had to go through Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The two quarterbacks are attached at the hip after moving into starting roles during the 2018 season and have run into each other frequently as they’ve attempted to lead their team to a championship.
Because their meetings often have things such as home-field advantage or a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Mahomes vs. Allen has developed into one of the NFL’s best rivalries. But there’s an interesting study to see which quarterback has had the advantage over his career and who has the upper hand when two of the best signal callers in the NFL have gone head-to-head.
The Short Answer: Mahomes vs. Allen Head-to-Head Record
- Total Record: 5-5
- Regular Season Record: 5-1 Allen
- Playoff Record: 4-0 Mahomes
- Mahomes' Record at Home: 3-3
- Mahomes' Record in Buffalo: 2-2
- First Meeting: Chiefs 26, Bills 17 – Oct. 19, 2020 – Orchard Park, N.Y.
- Last Meeting: Bills 28, Chiefs 21 – Nov. 2, 2025 – Orchard Park, N.Y.
- Mahomes' Average Margin of Victory: 7.6 points
- Games Decided By One Possession (7 or fewer points): 6
Complete Mahomes vs. Allen Game Log (Every Matchup)
Date | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Oct. 19, 2020 | Chiefs 26, Bills 17 | Orchard Park, N.Y. | |
Jan. 24, 2021 | Chiefs 38, Bills 24 | Kansas City, Mo. | AFC Championship |
Oct. 10, 2021 | Bills 38, Chiefs 20 | Kansas City, Mo. | |
Jan. 23, 2022 | Chiefs 42, Bills 36 (OT) | Kansas City, Mo. | AFC Divisional Round |
Oct. 16, 2022 | Bills 24, Chiefs 20 | Kansas City, Mo. | |
Dec. 12, 2023 | Bills 20, Chiefs 17 | Kansas City, Mo. | |
Jan. 21, 2024 | Chiefs 23, Bills 17 | Orchard Park, N.Y. | AFC Divisional Round |
Nov. 17, 2024 | Bills 33, Chiefs 23 | Orchard Park, N.Y. | |
Jan. 26, 2025 | Chiefs 32, Bills 29 | Kansas City, Mo. | AFC Championship |
Nov. 2, 2025 | Bills 28, Chiefs 21 | Orchard Park, N.Y. |
Mahomes vs. Allen Stat Comparison in Head to Head Games
Regular Season (6 Games)
- Patrick Mahomes: 1,552 yards, 10 TD, 8 INT, 61.7% completion rate, 81.6 QB Rating
- Josh Allen: 1,534 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT, 64.2% completion rate, 99.4 QB Rating
Playoffs (4 Games)
- Patrick Mahomes: 1,163 yards, 9 TD, 0 INT, 74.0% completion rate, 123.7 QB Rating
- Josh Allen: 1,039 yards, 9 TD, 1 INT, 65.2% completion rate, 100.2 QB rating
Per-Game Averages
- Patrick Mahomes: 23.9-of-36.1 (66.2%), 271.5 yards, 1.9 TD, 0.9 INT
- Josh Allen: 23.2-of-35.9 (64.6%), 257.3 yards, 2.0 TD, 0.4 INT
What the Stats Don’t Capture
The 2020 Season Started the Mahomes vs. Allen Rivalry
While it wasn’t as dramatic as some of the matchups Allen and Mahomes would have down the road, their first two matchups during the 2020 season were memorable.
The first meeting between Allen and Mahomes came during a rain-soaked night in Orchard Park and was played in front of no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also forced the game to be moved from Thursday night to Monday evening and saw both teams cling to efficiency as opposed to big plays.
The Chiefs came out on top with a 26-17 victory as Mahomes completed 21-of-26 passes for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Kansas City racked up 245 rushing yards including 161 from Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Allen completed just 14-of-27 passes for 122 yards, two touchdowns and an interception but he would have his chance for revenge a few months later when the two teams met in the AFC Championship Game.
The Bills jumped out to a 10-0 lead in that game on the road but Mahomes proceeded to go full Mahomes on Buffalo, completing 28 of 29 passes for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns, spawning one of the most iconic photos in NFL history with Stefon Diggs watching the Chiefs’ playoff celebration from afar.
The 2022 Divisional Game Changed Everything for the Chiefs vs. Bills Rivalry
The rivalry went from a simmer to a full-fledged boil in one night when the Bills and Chiefs met in the divisional round the following season. The Chiefs held a 23-14 lead over the Bills on Mecole Hardman’s 25-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter but Gabriel Davis caught a 75-yard touchdown from Allen to chip into the lead.
The Chiefs padded their lead with a 28-yard field goal by Harrison Butker with 8:55 remaining but Davis grabbed a 27-yard touchdown from Allen to give the Bills a 29-26 lead and kic koff the wildest minute and 54 seconds in NFL history.
Mahomes gave the Chiefs the lead by finding Tyreek Hill for a 64-yard touchdown pass with 1:02 remaining but Allen answered by driving the Bills down the field and hitting Davis for his third touchdown of the game with 13 seconds remaining to put Buffalo ahead 36-33. While the game appeared to be over, Mahomes had one last gasp, hitting Travis Kelce for a 25-yard gain that set up a game-tying 49-yard field goal by Butker as time expired to force overtime.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and drove eight plays before Mahomes found Kelce for an eight-yard, game-winning touchdown that sent Kansas City to the Super Bowl. Not only did the game inspire a change in the NFL’s overtime rules that allowed both teams to have the ball (a rule the Chiefs would capitalize on in the Super Bowl a few years later), but it also took the rivalry between Allen and Mahomes to new heights.
Josh Allen Hasn’t Answered When It’s Mattered the Most
The Chiefs and Bills have met biannually for a majority of the rivalry and 10 times in the past five years. But while Allen has been able to have regular season success, he hasn’t been able to grab the brass ring when it matters the most.
The 2024 AFC Divisional Round matchup was an example. The Bills had home field advantage for the first time in five meetings and held a 17-13 lead going into halftime. The Chiefs took the lead on an Isiah Pacheco touchdown with 14:20 remaining and it was on Allen to finish the story and lead Buffalo to victory.
Instead, the Bills got in their own way. After failing to sustain a drive, head coach Sean McDermott called a fake punt run by Demar Hamlin that the Chiefs snuffed out. The Bills defense was able to give the ball back to Allen but he was unable to lead Buffalo to a go-ahead touchdown. Tyler Bass missed a game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt and the Chiefs ran the clock to go back to the Super Bowl.
A similar story also played out in the 2025 AFC Championship Game. Kansas City built a 21-10 lead at halftime but Allen was able to lead the Bills back into the game and tied it on a four-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel with 6:15 remaining.
The Chiefs took the lead back on a 35-yard field goal by Butker with 3:33 remaining and Allen once again had the chance to be a hero. Instead, the Bills faced a critical 4th-and-5 just after the two-minute warning. Steve Spagnuolo sent a blitz at Allen, forcing him to heave a prayer that was dropped by Dalton Kincaid.
It’s moments like this that have given Mahomes the advantage when he matches up with Allen and could continue to be the story until Allen answers the challenge.