The next installment of the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills will be written when the two meet in the AFC Championship. … and Patrick Mahomes plans to be healthy enough to as usual serve as a difference-maker.

With the Bills handing the Chiefs starters their first loss of the year back in Week 11, there will be a hint of revenge coming from Andy Reid’s team, but there is one key piece of information that needs to be brought forward.

In the playoffs, the Chiefs are 3-0 against Josh Allen and the Bills.

So yes, the Bills have beaten the Chiefs the last four times in the regular season, but Kansas City has won the last three times in the postseason, which sets up a fascinating matchup on Sunday.

“Just two really good football teams going up against each other,” Mahomes said. “They have great players at every level, both sides of the ball, and they’re well coached. So when you play great football teams like that, it usually ends with that split type of deal. We’ve been able to beat them in the playoffs, and they’ve gotten us in the regular season, but if you look at the games, every game’s close, so it just comes down to a play here or there that kind of usually makes an impact on the outcome.”

One key: The health of the important participants … and as it happens, on Wednesday, Mahomes has popped up on the injury report.

It’s that bothersome ankle … though the QB is listed as a full participant.

The Bills are back to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2020 (when they lost to the Chiefs), while Mahomes and Co. are into their seventh straight AFC title game.

With a shot at history still on the cards, the Chiefs have two more games to navigate to make it a reality.

Rested and at home, Reid’s team has a great chance to advance to yet another Super Bowl, and this latest chapter in the Chiefs/Bills rivalry looms as the best one yet.

Buckle up, folks.

Patrick Mahomes on whether NFL officials favor the Chiefs: ‘The referees are doing their best’

“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes said Wednesday in his first media availability ahead of Sunday’s AFC title game against Buffalo, where the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will try to earn a chance at a three-peat.

“I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and proper as best they can,” Mahomes said. “For me, it’s go out there, play hard, try to do whatever I can to win the football game, and then live with the results based on my effort and how I play the game, and that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.”

While it may seem as though one of the NFL’s most visible franchises gets more than its share of calls, the Chiefs in fact have been penalized 147 yards more than their opponents over the past three seasons, including the playoffs.

And lest some think the Chiefs benefit more in moments that matter most, opponents have gained 20 more first downs via penalties on third or fourth down since 2018, which is when Mahomes became the starter. In the fourth quarter or overtime of games decided by one score, the Chiefs have the seventh-worst penalty differential over that same time period.

Still, it appears the narrative that officials are helping the Chiefs to win had reached the Houston locker room before the Texans ever reached Arrowhead Stadium last Saturday, where they lost 23-14 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game,” Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said afterward.

Then again, Mahomes didn’t earn any latitude among fans by appearing to flop in an attempt to draw another flag. That came as he was scrambling to his left and went out of bounds, and when touched by Houston linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, the two-time NFL MVP dramatically threw himself to the ground – but failed to fool the officials, who kept their flags in their pockets.

It certainly drew the ire of former NFL quarterback Troy Aikman, who was calling the game for ESPN.

“He´s trying to draw the penalty. Rather than just run out of bounds, he slows down,” Aikman said. “That´s been the frustration, and I get it. I understand it. That´s been the frustration for these defensive players around the league.”

Mahomes didn’t seem perturbed by the sudden national discourse into penalties and flopping when he addressed the media on Wednesday. Instead, he methodically answered questions about them and then turned his attention to the Bills.

“You get new referees every year. You get new circumstances,” Mahomes said, “and you never can really tell because every play is different, and that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I just continue to play the game. I just try to win.”