“You look at him statistically and what he’s been able to do in his first four, five, six years in this league, you know, it’s kind of unmatched by anybody,” he said. “They’re the mantra of what you want to be and how you need to do it. Because, again they’re just constantly in the AFC Championship Game; he’s been in three Super Bowls now. Gotta find ways, it’s a copycat league, you gotta find ways to be like them.”
Mahomes’ Chiefs knocked out Allen’s Bills in the 2020 and 2021 postseasons. This year, after essentially spending their offseason ramping up to face K.C. in the postseason again, the Bills fell short, getting blown out by Cincinnati in the Divisional Round.
“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Allen said of Mahomes and the Chiefs. “We didn’t get that opportunity this year in the playoffs. Or we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, I guess you could say.”
The postseason loss marks the second straight season in which Buffalo got ousted before Championship weekend, a far cry from their preseason expectations.
Allen skipped Super Bowl week festivities this season in Arizona, noting that he didn’t want to make it a habit of not playing for Lombardis.
“You don’t want to fall into the same routine, not making it there and going and spending time there,” he said. “Putting the attention on the wrong thing, I guess you could say. Been there, done that. There’s some good money-making opportunities there, but I’m at the point where I’d rather be playing in the game than getting the payoffs.”
Allen got his payoff in a new contract in 2021. He’s helped the Bills to the postseason each of the past four seasons. He’s been an offseason darling and Most Valuable Player candidate. But he’s yet to get over that hump.
That hump sits in Kansas City. Despite the Bills beating the Chiefs each of the past two regular seasons, they couldn’t come out on top when it mattered in the postseason. One team owns the hype. The other owns two more Lombardi Trophies.