This weekend begins the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, with four interesting duels: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, the most attractive of all, Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs.
This last clash is the most attractive, for facing two of the most talented quarterbacks of the new generation: Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, who are the pillars in their respective franchises and those in charge of exciting their institutions and the fans themselves that winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year is a possibility.
Chosen in the first round of their respective Drafts, Allen and Mahomes represent everything a team looks for in a quarterback: players with a powerful and precise arm, a great ability to deal with pressure and the quickness to get rid of the ball quickly and find open men to gain a good yardage.
They are precisely the protagonists of the new NFL rivalry, even compared to period quarterbacks like Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman vs. Steve Young, Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino, and even Bart Starr vs. Johnny Unitas.
Allen, in the shadow of Mahomes
Comparing them could be a bit unfair, although the difference in games played is very small. Not only has Mahomes thrown for more yards than Allen, but he has also already won a Super Bowl (LIV), was the MVP of that game and also the Most Valuable Player of 2018, while the Bills pitcher only has one Pro Bowl against his rival’s four.
Despite this, the great talent of the University of Wyoming graduate, who has been one of the fundamental pieces in the rise of the Bills in the AFC Eastern Division, which had been dominated by the New England Patriots for the past 20 years.
On the other side, M.ahomes has led Kansas City to three consecutive Championship Finals, in addition to the last two Super Bowls, so he will command a powerful offensive to look for the third in a row.
This will be the fourth time that Mahomes and Allen will face each other, with two wins for the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, including one in the AFC Championship Final in 2021 (38-24), but Buffalo won the last matchup (38-20), just when Mahomes and company were on a losing streak, to later get 12 wins in 13 games, 11 of them consecutively.
As far as talent is concerned, both are well covered: Allen throws to Stefon Diggs and Dawson Cox, in addition to relying on David Singletary’s legs for the running game, while Pat Mahomes has Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce as two of the two best targets for his passes, plus the backfield benefits from the return of Clyde Edwards Helaire after missing the last three games due to injury.
The pieces are set for a match that promises to be an air war, one in which we will see many points.
A duel that promises emotions
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes two of the highest paid quarterbacks, they see each other again faces after the 2021 AFC Championship
Josh Allen
Birth May 21, 1996
Place Firebaugh, California
Age 25 years
Height 1.96m
Weight 107kg
Draft 2018
Round 1
Selection 7
University of Wyoming
Buffalo Bills Team
Contract (USD)
6 years/$258,034,000
Average annual salary $43,005,667
Race
regular season
Matches 61
Ownership 60
Record 39-21
by air
Passes thrown 1,999
Complete Passes 1,245
Yards 14,114
Touchdowns 103
Interceptions 46
QB Rating 91.0
postseason
matches 5
Ownership 5
3-2 record
by air
Passes thrown 191
Complete Passes 122
Yards 1,389
Touchdowns 10
Interceptions 1
QB rating 100.9
patrick mahomes
Birth September 17, 1995
Place Tyler, Texas
Age 26 years
Height 1.91m
Weight 104kg
Draft 2017
Round 1
Selection 10
Texas Tech University
Kansas City Chiefs team
Contract (USD)
10 years/ $450,000,000
Average annual salary $45,000,000
Race
regular season
Matches 63
Ownership 63
50-13 record
by air
Passes thrown 2,345
Complete Passes 1,550
Yards 18,991
Touchdowns 151
Interceptions 37
QB Rating 105.8
postseason
Matches 9
Ownership 9
7-2 record
by air
Passes thrown 340
Complete Passes 221
Yards 2,728
Touchdowns 22
Interceptions 5
QB rating 105.1
Divisional Round Matches and Schedules
Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs
Day: Sunday, January 23
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Favorite Kansas City, by 2.5
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans
Day: Saturday January 22
Time 3:30 p.m.
Stadium: Nissan Stadium
Favorite Tennessee, by 3.5
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
Day: Saturday January 22
Time: 7:15 p.m.
Stadium: Lambeu Field
Favorite Green Bay, by 5.5
Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Day: Sunday, January 23
Time 14:00 hours
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
Favorite Tampa Bay, by 3
MGC
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Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, new rivalry of quarterbacks in the NFL