Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs series history, common connections

The Buffalo Bills (5-2) welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) to Highmark Stadium later this afternoon for a 4:25 p.m. EST battle of Super Bowl contenders with a lot of history.

Before Sunday’s Game of the

Week, let’s revisit the series history, relive some of the more memorable matchups, break down those common connections, and go through the list of players who played for both teams. Hint: there are 69 players who saw action for both the Bills and Chiefs.

Bills vs. Chiefs series history

This matchup features two storied franchises with ties to the early days of the American Football League (AFL). Buffalo was one of the inaugural members of the AFL in 1960, as were the Dallas Texans, who relocated to Kansas City and became the Chiefs after winning the 1962 AFL title.

The Bills and Chiefs have met 57 times before, with Buffalo holding a 30-26-1 edge in the all-time series. The Bills have won the last four regular-season matchups against their AFC West counterparts, but have been eliminated in the playoffs by the Chiefs in four of the last five seasons, most recently including a 32-29 heart breaker in the 2024 AFC title game.

Quarterback Josh Allen completed 22-of-34 passes for 237 yards with two touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 39 yards, and running back James Cook ran for 85 yards with a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries. Wide receivers Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel each caught touchdown passes for the Bills, who took a 22-21 third-quarter lead when James Cook finished off an acrobatic run by extending into the end zone three minutes into the quarter.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes scored on a 10-yard run and completed the two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Justin Watson for a 29-22 lead 4:46 into the fourth, but Allen and the Bills responded by marching 70 yards in nine plays, capped by Allen’s four-yard touchdown to Samuel on 4th & Goal.

The Chiefs took a 32-29 lead on kicker Harrison Butker’s 35-yard field goal, but Allen and the Bills had a chance to drive downfield for the tying or go-ahead score. However, Buffalo turned the ball over on downs when Allen’s desperation heave to tight end Dalton Kincaid that sailed through Kincaid’s hands and the Bills were denied their first trip back to the Super Bowl since the 1993 season.

The last time these teams met in Buffalo was Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season, and the Bills brought an 8-2 record into the showdown while the Chiefs were perfect at 9-0. The Bills knocked the Chiefs from the ranks of the undefeated, 30-21 before a raucous Highmark Stadium crowd.

Leading 23-21 and facing a 4th & 2 late in the fourth quarter, Josh Allen pulled off perhaps the play of the regular season, bouncing off of two Chiefs defenders before scoring a back-breaking 26-yard touchdown to put the Bills up 30-21.

Linebacker Terrel Bernard sealed the win by picking off Patrick Mahomes on Kansas City’s ensuing drive, and chants of MVP, MVP, MVP serenaded Allen after the Bills had defeated the Chiefs.

James Cook scored twice in the first half, kicker Tyler Bass gave the Bills the lead for good when he drilled a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, and Allen connected with Samuel on a 12-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth, setting the stage for another thrilling finish between the Bills and the Chiefs. Buffalo prevailed for their sixth-straight win and would go on to capture their fifth-consecutive AFC East divisional title.

Allen completed 27-of-40 passes for 262 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and added 55 rushing yards with another touchdown. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught all eight of his targets for 70 yards, Samuel caught five passes for 58 yards, and wide receiver Amari Cooper hauled in two passes for 55 yards in the win. Bernard and safety Taylor Rapp came away with interceptions of Mahomes, who went 23-of-33 for 196 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked twice, by Bernard and edge rusher Von Miller.

Fun fact: After claiming back-to-back AFL championships during the 1964 and 1965 seasons, the Bills had a chance to represent the AFL in the first-ever Super Bowl during the 1966 season, when they faced the Chiefs in the AFL championship. The two teams split in the regular season, with each team winning on the road. But in the AFL title game, played in Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium, the Bills suffered a 31-7 setback and were denied the chance to take on Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I.

The Bills fumbled away the opening kickoff, giving the Chiefs terrific field position, and they capitalized with a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Len Dawson to tight end Fred Arbanas. Later in the quarter, quarterback Jack Kemp and Buffalo’s offense responded, as Kemp connected with wide receiver Elbert Dubenion at the Chiefs’ 45-yard line and scampered into the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown.

Tied heading into the second quarter, Dawson hooked up with wide receiver Otis Taylor for a 29-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead. Undeterred, Kemp led the Bills downfield and seemed poised to even the score, but Kemp’s pass in the end zone was intercepted by safety Johnny Robinson and returned 72 yards into Buffalo territory. The Chiefs kicked a field goal for a 17-7 halftime lead, and the Bills would be blanked the rest of the way, as Kansas City’s defense forced four turnovers and outscored Buffalo 24-0 to win.

Kemp finished the day completing 12-of-25 passes for 253 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, while Rob Burnett hauled in six passes for 127 yards. The Bills were held to 40 total rushing yards in the loss.

The Chiefs would go on to lose to Lombardi’s Packers by a score of 35-10 in the first Super Bowl.

Franchise Comparison

Notable connections between the Bills and Chiefs

Unlike last week, when there were plenty of members of Buffalo’s coaching staff and front office with ties to that week’s opponent, this week, there’s only one tie-in: current Bills head coach Sean McDermott was on current Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s coaching staff with the Philadelphia Eagles. When Reid took over as Philadelphia’s head coach in 1999, McDermott joined the Eagles as a scouting coordinator. McDermott worked his way up to defensive coordinator under Reid before he was fired following the 2010 NFL season. The two have a long-standing friendship.

Who has played for both the Bills and Chiefs?

There are a total of 69 players who appeared in a game for both the Bills and Chiefs. The first? Cornerback Jack Johnson made two starts and appeared in 12 games in Buffalo’s inaugural season in the AFL before playing one game with the then Dallas Texans (who relocated to Kansas City and became the Chiefs in 1963). The most recent: wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who played 33 games for the Chiefs from 2022-23 before logging six games with the Bills in 2024.

There are no current Bills or Chiefs players with experience playing for both teams on one of their active rosters, though safety Mike Edwards (2023 with the Chiefs and 2024 with the Bills) is currently on Kansas City’s practice squad.

Among the other notable players with ties to both the Bills and Chiefs:

Cornerback Martin Bayless (1984-86 with the Bills, 1992-96 with the Chiefs)
Wide receiver Bucky Brooks (1994 with the Bills, 1997-98 with the Chiefs)
Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (2017-18 with the Bills, 2018 with the Chiefs)
Quarterback Matt Cassel (2009-12 with the Chiefs, 2015 with the Bills)
Quarterback Todd Collins (1995-97 with the Bills, 2001-05 with the Chiefs)
Fullback Patrick DiMarco (2012 with the Chiefs, 2017-19 with the Bills)
Defensive tackle Ron Edwards (2001-05 with the Bills, 2006-10 with the Chiefs)
Quarterback Tom Flores (1967-69 with the Bills, 1969 with the Chiefs)
Center/linebacker Wayne Frazier (1966-67 with the Chiefs, 1967 with the Bills)
Cornerback Phillip Gaines (2014-17 with the Chiefs, 2018 with the Bills)
Defensive lineman Dee Hardison (1978-80 with the Bills, 1988 with the Chiefs)
Defensive end/linebacker Chuck Hurston (1965-70 with the Chiefs, 1971 with the Bills)
Defensive end Ken Johnson (1979-84 with the Bills, 1987 with the Chiefs)
Tight end Lonnie Johnson (1994-98 with the Bills, 1999 with the Chiefs)
Defensive tackle Tom Keating (1964-65 with the Bills, 1974-75 with the Chiefs)
Running back Jeff Kinney (1972-76 with the Chiefs, 1976 with the Bills)
Center Adam Lingner (1983-88 with the Chiefs, 1987-95 with the Bills)
Tight end Billy Masters (1967-69 with the Bills, 1975-76 with the Chiefs)
Running back LeSean McCoy (2015-18 with the Bills, 2019 with the Chiefs)
Running back Ted McKnight (1977-81 with the Chiefs, 1982 with the Bills)
Kicker Mike Mercer (1966 with the Chiefs, 1967-68 with the Bills)
Linebacker Kawika Mitchell (2003-06 with the Chiefs, 2008-09 with the Bills)
Center Mitch Morse (2015-18 with the Chiefs, 2019-23 with the Bills)
Quarterback Kyle Orton (2011 with the Chiefs, 2014 with the Bills)
Offensive lineman Glenn Parker (1990-96 with the Bills, 1997-99 with the Chiefs)
Linebacker Marvcus Patton (1990-94 with the Bills, 1999-2002 with the Chiefs)
Linebacker Scott Radecic (1984-86 with the Chiefs, 1987-89 with the Bills)
Running back C.J. Spiller (2010-14 with the Bills, 2017 with the Chiefs)
Defensive end Art Still (1978-87 with the Chiefs, 1988-89 with the Bills)
Quarterback Tyler Thigpen (2007-09 with the Chiefs, 2011-12 with the Bills)
Defensive back Charley Warner (1963-64 with the Chiefs, 1964-66 with the Bills)
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins (2014-16 with the Bills, 2018-20 with the Chiefs)