AFC Championship Game 2021: Bills vs. Chiefs Comments and Stat Predictions

Patrick Mahomes is ready to go for the AFC Championship Game. Now, will the superstar quarterback be able to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the second straight year?

After going through the NFL's concussion protocol after leaving the Chiefs' divisional-round win over the Cleveland Browns last week early, Mahomes will be back in action Sunday to take on the Buffalo Bills in the conference title game at Arrowhead Stadium. It's the third straight year that Kansas City is hosting the AFC Championship Game, and it's looking to go on to win its second consecutive Super Bowl title.

The Bills last reached this point in the 1993 season, which was the end of their run of four straight conference titles, all without winning a Super Bowl. Buffalo has notched playoff victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens after having not previously won a postseason contest since the 1995 season.

Here's everything else you need to know for Sunday's game, along with stat predictions and some of the latest comments regarding the matchup.

AFC Championship Game Information

Date: Sunday, Jan. 24

Start Time: 6:40 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Stat Predictions

Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes: 324 yards and three touchdowns

Buffalo QB Josh Allen: 279 yards, two touchdowns and one interception

Kansas City TE Travis Kelce: eight receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown

Buffalo WR Stefon Diggs: seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown

Kansas City S Tyrann Mathieu: eight tackles and an interception

Even though Mahomes couldn't finish last week's game, there's a decent chance he'll play at his typical impressive level this week. After going through the concussion protocol, it appears the 25-year-old quarterback is feeling well heading into Sunday's matchup.

"Talking to all of the doctors and going through all of the testing, we have the belief that I'll have no lingering effects and I'll be able to go out there and be who I am,'' Mahomes said, per ESPN's Adam Teicher. "You have to take it day by day. That's the best thing. You can only control what you can control. For me, that was coming in every day with a positive attitude, try to make myself better, try to prepare myself as if I was going to play."

And most times, Mahomes leads the Chiefs offense to success. Kansas City ranked No. 1 in the NFL with 415.8 total yards per game during the regular season. Their talented playmakers led them to the Super Bowl title last season, and now they're looking to do it again.

However, Buffalo may have an offense capable of keeping up with Kansas City's, as it tied for second in the NFL with 396.4 total yards per game in the regular season. 

The Bills offense relied heavily on Allen throwing the ball a lot, and it appears things aren't going to be different the rest of the way.

"We're not going to change who we are," Allen said, per Dave Skretta of the Associated Press. "It's the biggest game because it's the next one, but we understand that we don't have to be anyone different that who we are."

But if Buffalo is going to knock off the defending Super Bowl champions, it may need to find a way to at least limit Kansas City's offensive production, too. That's certainly a challenge, but it's one the Bills players seem ready for.

"I don't think anybody's given us a chance really all year," Buffalo safety Jordan Poyer said, per John Wawrow of the Associated Press. "We're the ones that believe in ourselves, have the confidence. We're just worried about us. And at the end of the day, we always talk about them, they've got to come play us."

The last time that the Chiefs and Bills met in the playoffs also came in the AFC Championship Game, as Buffalo defeated Kansas City 30-13 during the 1993 season. It could be a much closer contest this time, considering these teams are the top two seeds in the AFC and have been among the best teams in the league all season.

The Bills will also be looking to avenge a regular-season loss to the Chiefs, as they fell 26-17 when the two teams met in Buffalo in Week 6.