Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are set to add another chapter to their storied rivalry on Sunday afternoon as the Bills will host the Chiefs in Week 9 for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff at Orchard Park's Highmark Stadium.
Ahead of the matchup—the 10th of their careers, including the postseason—both signal callers were asked about one another. Mahomes gave Allen nothing but a rave review.
"To be that size and to be able to move like that, he's done so many great things as far as throwing the football," the Kansas City quarterback said of his counterpart on Wednesday. " ... The way he's able to extend plays and be close to the sideline and make these big-time throws down the field, that stuff is special. He's gotten better and better each and every year. I think that's something that I've seen in him and something I try to do for myself as well. He's a great football player."
Allen, meanwhile, was prodded with a question about the opportunity to, once again, go up against another one of the league's best in Mahomes.
"Anytime you're playing against a good team and a good quarterback, you have to play at the top of your game in order to win a football game," he explained. "Not that you don't go out there and try to play your best all the time, [but] there is a heightened sense of awareness to that of understanding who's on the other side of the football. But yeah, you wanna go out there and our goal is to try to score on every drive and that's what we try to do."
Ahead of kickoff on Sunday, here's a look at how the two quarterbacks have faired in their previous nine matchups.
Allen vs. Mahomes, by the numbers
Over the course of their nine previous matchups, Mahomes and the Chiefs have a slight edge over Allen and the Bills with a 5–4 record. There's a start difference, however, between the regular season and postseason.
Buffalo and Kansas City have faced off in the regular season five times since the respective Allen and Mahomes eras began, with the Bills donning an impressive 4–1 record. Across said contests, the two quarterbacks thrown the same number of touchdown passes (10), while Allen has thrown four fewer interceptions, posted a higher passer rating, and has outpaced Mahomes on the ground, totaling more rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to Mahomes' zero.
Here's a side-by-side look:
Allen vs. Mahomes regular season stats
In the playoffs, meanwhile, it's been all Mahomes. The Chiefs quarterback boasts a 4–0 record over the Bills when it matters most, throwing nine touchdown passes without a single interception against their defense. Additionally, he has more passing yards, a better completion percentage, and a higher passer rating than Allen, while adding three rushing touchdowns to Allen's zero.
Here's a side-by-side look:
Allen vs. Mahomes postseason stats
Chapter 10 comes on Sunday. Get your popcorn ready.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen Said About Each Other Before Chiefs-Bills Clash.
