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Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will face a challenge on Sunday that they have not faced before since Mahomes became the Kansas City Chiefs' starting quarterback in 2018. The superstar duo will play a road playoff game for the first time as the Chiefs visit the Buffalo Bills in an AFC divisional playoff showdown -- and there will be history on the line when the Kansas City offense takes the field for the first time.
With one more connection in the end zone between Mahomes and Kelce, this quarterback and tight end duo will become the most successful in the history of the NFL playoffs -- suring the legendary Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski pair in New England and Tampa Bay. In addition to a shot at an all-time NFL mark, a touchdown connection between Mahomes and Kelce would help the Chiefs win their first road playoff game since January 2016 -- the end of Kelce's first 1,000-yard season.
The most successful combination of all-time?
Mahomes and Kelce can tie a record set by Brady and Gronkowski for the most playoff touchdowns by a quarterback and receiver duo in NFL history. Brady and Gronk linked up for a postseason touchdown 15 times between 2011 and 2021 -- winning three Super Bowls in the process.
The Chiefs have already won two Super Bowls with Mahomes under center, and Kelce -- who began his NFL career catching es from Alex Smith in Kansas City -- has already caught more playoff touchdowns in his career (16) than Gronkowski (15). These two will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday, along with Brady and Gronkowski -- and all four will Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, the legendary San Francisco 49ers duo that long held the record for playoff touchdowns.
Can Kelce break loose against the Buffalo defense?
Kelce has made a living out of -- somehow -- always being open, finding pockets in the defense where he can turn and catch an accurate ball from Mahomes. But the Bills' defense is one of the best in the NFL, and it could make life difficult for the star tight end.
Buffalo ranked seventh in ing yards allowed during the regular season, and only one team allowed fewer ing touchdowns than the Bills. The defense held Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to 229 yards through the air and intercepted him once during the wild-card round, helping Buffalo win its sixth consecutive game.
Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense presents a more dangerous proposition than what Rudolph and Pittsburgh were able to offer on Monday, but Kansas City will have to earn its place in the AFC Championship Game against red-hot Buffalo.