he Kansas City Chiefs are heading east to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night in a highly-anticipated AFC divisional playoff game. It will be the latest installment of a quarterback rivalry that could define the 2020s — Patrick Mahomes battling Josh Allen for a spot in the conference championship game, against the winner of Ravens – Texans in Baltimore
Much has been made of Mahomes playing in a road playoff game for the first time. All 15 of Mahomes’ previous playoff games have been held at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, or on neutral ground because the Chiefs had made the Super Bowl. Mahomes on Wednesday addressed his mindset entering the Chiefs’ most important game of the 2023 season — which will determine whether Kansas City’s championship defense will continue.
An elite competitor like Mahomes will not be afraid of any hostility from Bills fans in the stands on Sunday — even though this will be the first time Mahomes has played at Highmark Stadium with fans present (due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the 2020 season). The two-time MVP is embracing the challenge — and the trash talk that comes with it.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of games at home at Arrowhead Stadium,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “But now we have a great opportunity to go on the road, play in a hostile environment. … Even though I know it’s going to be hostile and there are going to be people talking trash, I’m excited for it because it’s one of the best environments in football, and you want to do that when you grow up watching these games, play in the best environment and see what it’s like