Bills still have to show they can beat Chiefs when it matters most

If you are a Buffalo Bills fan, you have to be ecstatic with the way Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs went. Not only did they win the highest-profile game of the week, 28-21, but they also did a number on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

They held Mahomes to under 50% completions for the first time in his career, sacked him three times, hit him 15 times, intercepted him once and did not allow him to throw a single touchdown pass. It was a dominant performance, and a pretty big statement performance from a defense that has struggled at times this season and was playing without some key players on Sunday, including defensive tackle Ed Oliver. 

It keeps the Bills in the running for the top seed in the AFC, hands the Chiefs what is already their fourth loss and is the type of win that might be able to start a special run this season for Buffalo. 

But the Bills have been here before, and they have to know the job is not yet finished.

Bills still have to prove they can do this to Mahomes, Chiefs in playoffs

It might be annoying for Bills fans to hear this, but beating the Chiefs in the regular season has not been a problem.

Sunday's win is Buffalo's fifth consecutive regular-season win against Mahomes and the Chiefs. They are usually classic games, and not always emphatic of a defensive performance as this one was, but they always seem to get the best of them in the regular season.

The problem the Bills have yet to solve is that they have not yet been able to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs, losing all four of their meetings in the postseason. 

Whether they won this game or not, the Bills were still going to be in the playoffs this season.

The Chiefs will almost certainly be there as well.

The Chiefs have set a standard where championships are not only the goal, but also the expectation. They have played in the AFC Championship game in every season of Mahomes' career, already played in five Super Bowls and won three of them.

That is the level the Bills want to reach, and in Allen, they should have the quarterback to have at least reached that level at least one time.

The team that consistently keeps standing in their way, however, is the Chiefs come playoff time. Given the way the AFC is shaking out this season, there is a very good chance these two teams will meet again come January. The narrative at this point is already well established. And there is only one way the Bills can change that. It is not winning in November. It is beating them in January.