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On Sunday, most Kansas City Chief players will enter foreign territory regarding the NFL playoffs.
Foreign for one because they’ll be in the heart of Bills Mafia at Orchard Park, but it’ll also be the first time Patrick Mahomes starts a playoff game outside Arrowhead.
The Chiefs haven’t played a postseason fixture on the road since the 2015 season.
Like last Saturday, the Divisional Round this weekend promises to be a chilly affair between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, with a lake-effect snow warning issued this week.
Playing in that weather against the hottest team in the NFL and that hostile environment has the Bills as a 2.5-point favourite heading into this contest.
Mahomes, though, is more than comfortable in cold and intimidating environments.
Enemy Territory
Mahomes and company know they’ll get an earful from Bills’ fans on Sunday, but the Chiefs pivot also knows how to handle the hostility.
In his career, Mahomes has an all-time away record of 38-11, which translates to a 77.6 winning percentage.
That’s virtually on par with his all-time home winning percentage of 78.3%, with a 47-13 record.
During the 2023 regular season, Mahomes went 5-2 away from home, losing at Mile High in late October and the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field last month.
In those seven starts, Mahomes had an average passer rating of 90.4 with 1,842 yards through the air, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Seven of those picks came in cities known for cold weather, including Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, Denver, Green Bay and New England.
Mahomes’ best passing days away from home in 2023 came in ideal conditions, putting up a 109.9 passer rating under the dome in Minnesota and a sparkling 122.8 in Vegas.
In his only previous visit to Buffalo in 2020, Mahomes had a sensational outing, completing 80.8% of his throws with a 128.4 passer rating and two TD passes.
It’s worth noting that because of COVID that game took place without fans, so one might argue that Mahomes doesn’t know what it’s like to deal with the madness of Bills Mafia.
Braving the Cold
Last Saturday, Mahomes showed that cold temperatures don’t bother him, helping the Chiefs rack up 409 net yards in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, despite a problem with his helmet.
For his career, Mahomes is 4-0 when the temperature is below 18 degrees Fahrenheit (between -7 and 8 Celsius).
Meanwhile, he’s 10-2 when it’s 35 degrees Fahrenheit or lower (between +1 and 2 Celsius).
Chiefs have never won a play-off game in Buffalo
The Chiefs’ all-time away record in the postseason, including the Super Bowl, is 7-12, without a single victory in Buffalo since both teams entered the NFL in the 1970 merger.
They’ve faced the Bills in Buffalo on three previous occasions, losing 30-13 in the 1993 AFC Championship as Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana got knocked out of that contest with a concussion.
The last time the Chiefs were in Buffalo in the Divisional Round, the Bills won 37-14 in the 1991 season.
Kansas City’s only away victory versus the Bills came in the 1966 American Football League (AFL) Championship, with the Chiefs winning 31-7.