ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — After four years, plenty of playoff heartbreak and an offseason roster purge of leadership and skill, the Buffalo Bills are finally returning to the AFC championship game.

And who else do the Bills find but Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs again standing in their way? Three of Buffalo’s past four playoffs have ended against the Chiefs, starting with a 38-24 loss at Kansas City in the AFC championship game after the 2020 season.

A year later at Kansas City came a 42-36 overtime loss in which Buffalo squandered a three-point lead in the final 13 seconds of regulation. And then there was last year, when Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right with 1:43 left in a 27-24 loss against the visiting Chiefs.

If Josh Allen and these Bills are out to prove that this year’s different, and they’ve gained perspective from the scars — as coach Sean McDermott likes to call them — of their past, then Sunday’s game is Buffalo’s opportunity.

To advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since losing four straight appearances in the 1990s, the Bills will have to do something they’ve not done in 35 years: win on the road. Buffalo is 0-4 in playoff road games under McDermott, 3-12 overall, and has dropped seven straight since a 29-10 win at Miami in the AFC championship game after the 1992 season.

If there is a bright side, the Bills can no longer be dismissed as inferior or too small or lacking talent at key spots, as has been said about a team enjoying a franchise record-matching 15-win season, including the playoffs. As evidenced in their white-knuckle 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the Bills play complementary football that makes them greater than the sum of their parts.

And, oh yes, they’ve fully embraced their label as underdogs. Any additional motivation required to beat a Ravens team that walloped Buffalo 35-10 in Week 4 came during a video featuring clips of Buffalo’s many critics shown to players on Saturday night.

Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis (22) greets fans after playing against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II

“They said we weren’t big enough, we weren’t physical enough, we couldn’t stop the run, da, da, da, da, da,” defensive tackle Ed Oliver said. “But we won. So what are we talking about?”

Beating the Ravens wasn’t easy, but it was in keeping with the Bills’ identity: sharing the wealth on offense and forcing turnovers on defense.

Allen enjoyed his 11th turnover-free outing of the year while completing passes to eight players, and all three of the Bills’ touchdowns — two by Allen — came on the ground. And the defense forced three turnovers, which led to 10 points.

All that, combined with Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropping a potential game-tying 2-point conversion with 1:33 left, was enough to offset Baltimore having a 416-273 edge in total yards. The Ravens became the fourth team to lose a playoff game without punting.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) hands the ball to offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) after scoring a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. Credit: AP/Adrian Kraus

Now come the top-seeded Chiefs, who were unbeaten before a 30-21 loss at Buffalo in Week 11. Encouraging as that might be, the Bills know better than to consider it an edge.

After all, the Bills have won four of the past seven meetings, with all three losses occurring in the playoffs.

“We know what they are. They’re the perennial of what you want to be in the NFL,” Allen said. “You’ve got to beat them to get past them.”

What’s working

Early scoring. The Bills responded to the Ravens’ opening-drive touchdown with rookie running back Ray Davis capping Buffalo’s 11-play, 70-yard first possession with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bills improved to 8-1 this season when scoring on their opening drive.

What needs help

Third-down defense. The Ravens stayed in the game by converting 7 of 10 third downs. It marked the second time this season Buffalo has allowed an opponent to convert at least 70% of its third-down chances. The Los Angeles Rams went 11 of 15 on third down in a 44-42 win on Dec. 8.

Stock up

S Damar Hamlin. Two years since needing to be resuscitated on the field after going into cardiac arrest during a game at Cincinnati, Hamlin had a team-leading eight tackles, including an ankle-grabbing sack in which he forced a fumble by Lamar Jackson. The turnover led to Allen’s go-ahead 1-yard TD run.

Stock down

Everyone who dismissed the Bills, including sportsbooks that had the Ravens as 1-point favorites.

Injuries

S Taylor Rapp did not return after hurting his hip in the first half. CB Christian Benford is in the concussion protocol after being hurt on the Ravens’ late onside kick attempt.

Key number

4-2 — Buffalo’s record in the AFC championship game.

Next steps

Having beaten two Super Bowl-winning coaches in Denver’s Sean Payton and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh this postseason, McDermott faces the person who gave him his NFL coaching break with Philadelphia — three-time Super Bowl winner Andy Reid.