The Buffalo Bills’ hopes of reaching the Super Bowl were dashed once again Sunday as they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
This marks a recurring theme for the Bills, whose playoff runs have ended at the hands of the Chiefs in four of the last five years, either in the conference championship or Divisional Round.
For quarterback Josh Allen, this latest loss has added an unwelcome distinction.
Allen now holds the NFL record for the most playoff wins by a quarterback (7) without making a Super Bowl appearance.
The frustrating pattern has fueled debates about whether Allen can lead his team to the NFL’s biggest stage.
“To be the champs, you’ve got to beat the champs, and we didn’t do that tonight,” Allen said after the loss to Kansas City. “You can either get it done or you can’t. And we didn’t get it done.”
“They’ve ended a lot of teams’ seasons, too,” Allen said of the Chiefs. “It’s a good squad. They had a good plan tonight and, again, they made more plays than we did.”
Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Robert Griffin III weighed in on the topic during an appearance on The Up and Adams Show, offering an interesting comparison for Allen.
“I do believe that Patrick Mahomes has turned Josh Allen into Philip Rivers,” RGIII said.
At first glance, the comparison may seem flattering.
Over a storied 17-year NFL career, Rivers amassed an impressive résumé, completing 5,277-of-8,134 passes for 63,440 yards, 421 touchdowns, 209 interceptions, and posting a 95.2 career passer rating.
However, Rivers’ legacy is also marked by playoff struggles.
He appeared in 12 postseason games, finishing with a 5-7 record, and never advanced to the Super Bowl – a fact often used to critique his career.
Allen, now in his seventh full NFL season, still has time to shake off the comparison and rewrite his narrative.
At just 28 years old, Allen has led the Bills to significant success, but the repeated playoff defeats – especially to a Chiefs team led by Patrick Mahomes – have created questions about whether Buffalo can overcome the glaring hurdle.
It should be noted that Rivers is a likely Hall of Famer and is one of the best quarterbacks of the past generation.
Having said that, most people agree that the overall hopes for Allen are higher. After all, there’s an argument to be made that Allen is the best player in the entire league.
However, until he gets over the hump and finally wins a Super Bowl, Mahomes will always have the upper-hand on him.
Sunday’s AFC Championship Game was not Allen’s fault. Not in any way, shape or form. He played well but the Bills had a few crucial things go against them – all of which led to yet another heartbreaking season-ending loss.
What are your thoughts on RGIII’s Allen-Rivers comparison? … Fair or not?
By the time his career is over, how many Super Bowls (if any) will Allen end up winning???