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Tim Tebow shares some valuable advice for incoming rookies like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward.
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The stage is set for the Kansas City Chiefs to host the Buffalo Bills tonight in the AFC championship game.
The Chiefs finished the season with the best record in the AFC (15-2) and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference. Kansas City locked up its tenth consecutive AFC West title in the process. They had a first-round bye in the wild-card round and enjoyed an extra week of rest to prepare for the Houston Texans, whom they defeated 24-13 in the divisional round to clinch a spot in the AFC title game for the seventh consecutive season.
Kansas City is seeking an historic third consecutive Super Bowl win but it will have its hands full on Sunday against Buffalo.
The Bills cruised past the Broncos in the wild card and defeated the Ravens 27-25 in the divisional round. Quarterback Josh Allen has played at an MVP level all season and has an opportunity to exercise revenge this Sunday.
Under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Buffalo has one of the NFL’s most efficient units. The Bills finished the 2024 season ranked second in EPA per play (0.18), while Allen recorded 41 total touchdowns.
Buffalo has won the AFC East title in six consecutive seasons under head coach Sean McDermott. Buffalo and Kansas City are the only teams to win double-digit games and reach the playoffs in each of the last six years. The Bills were one of two teams to defeat Kansas City during the regular season.
Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid has the franchise clicking on all cylinders and are two wins away from a fourth Lombardi trophy in six years. Patrick Mahomes has defeated Buffalo in all three previous postseason meetings. With a fourth on Sunday he would join Tom Brady and John Elway as the only starting quarterback to reach the Super Bowl five times.
The latest chapter in the greatest NFL rivalry of this generation will be written tonight.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the AFC championship game between the Bills and Chiefs on Sunday below. All times are Eastern.
Josh Allen threw three incomplete passes in a row and the Bills offense had to punt for the second time in the first half. Chiefs returner Nikko Remigio took the kick 41 yards to the Bills’ 34-yard line and the Chiefs will have a good chance to score once again before halftime.
Kansas City’s offense responded to Buffalo’s touchdown drive with one of their own. Patrick Mahomes found rookie wide receiver for an 11-yard catch-and-run touchdown to put Kansas City back ahead. Harrison Butker’s extra point is good and the Chiefs take the lead with 4:13 to go in the first half.
Mahomes completed all five pass attempts on the drive and scrambled for six yards on a crucial 4th-and-1 conversion to keep the drive going near midfield.
Chiefs 14, Bills 10
The Bills offense capitalized on Patrick Mahomes’ fumble with a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive that culminated in running back James Cook sprinting down the left side for a six-yard touchdown run. Tyler Bass’ extra point is good and the Bills get their first lead of the game with 10:25 to go in the second quarter.
Buffalo had multiple key third-down conversions, starting with a 10-yard pass from Allen to Amari Cooper on 3rd-and-9 to extend the drive closer to the red zone. Allen fumbled on the next play but found Khalil Shakir for a 24-yard gain on 3rd-and-13 to get the Bills in a goal-to-go situation.
Bills 10, Chiefs 7
Buffalo’s gone 12 yards in two plays after recovering the Chiefs’ fumble. The Bills offense will be facing 1st-and-10 from their own 40-yard line to start the second quarter.
Kansas City was driving near the red zone when Patrick Mahomes fumbled a fake handoff to running back Isiah Pacheco. The ball hit the ground and Buffalo defensive lineman Ed Oliver corralled it at the Bills’ 28-yard line. Buffalo will take over on offense with 57 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Buffalo’s second offensive drive of the game went much better than the first as the Bills picked up a pair of first downs. A fumbled exchange between Josh Allen and running back James Cook on 2nd-and-5 from the Chiefs’ 35-yard line stopped the Bills’ progress, though, and Buffalo couldn’t convert on 3rd-and-9. Tyler Bass knocked through a 53-yard field goal to get Buffalo on the board with 3:45 to go in the first quarter.
Chiefs 7, Bills 3
After the Bills’ three-and-out, Kansas City took over on offense and marched 90 yards in nine plays, capped off by a 12-yard touchdown run by running back Kareem Hunt. Harrison Butker‘s extra point is good and the Chiefs hold an early lead in the AFC championship game.
Buffalo will take over with 8:56 to go in the first quarter.
Chiefs 7, Bills 0
Buffalo wasn’t able to move the chains on their first drive of the game. Quarterback Josh Allen narrowly missed interceptions on his first two passes of the game, one on a throw over the middle to Mack Hollins and another on a deep shot down the left sideline to Keon Coleman.
Chiefs vs. Bills start timeÂ
- Date: Sunday, January 26, 2025Â
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ETÂ
The Bills and Chiefs game will wrap up the conference championship matchups kicking off at 6:30 p.m. ET. Â
Chiefs vs. Bills TV channelÂ
There are no surprise inactives for the two-time defending Super Bowl champs in the AFC championship.
There are no shocking inactive players for Buffalo in the AFC championship. The most significant absence will be safety Taylor Rapp.
Yes, Swift is in attendance to watch Travis Kelce in action against the Bills. She was spotted entering Arrowhead Stadium with Donna Kelce and figures to be in her usual suite.
Chiefs vs. Bills predictions, picksÂ
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the AFC championship between the Bills and Chiefs will shape up:Â
- Lorenzo Reyes: Bills 31, Chiefs 23
- Tyler Dragon: Chiefs 26, Bills 22
- Jordan Mendoza: Bills 29, Chiefs 28
- Live stream: Fubo | Paramount+Â
For cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup, you can turn to Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season.Â
The Chiefs are favorites to defeat the Bills, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.Â
- Spread: Chiefs (-2)Â
- Moneyline: Chiefs (-130); Bills (+110)Â
- Over/under: 48.5Â
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The NFL’s top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league’s highest-paid player before the 2024 season, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason. Â
Who are the highest paid NFL players at each position?Â
We have a complete list at every position: Â
Looking to make the Chiefs-Bills playoff matchup a bit more interesting? Here are some of the best bets for the game:Â
Here are the Super Bowl odds for the remaining four teams in the NFL playoffs, according to BetMGM:Â
The Chiefs have won four Super Bowls. They are as follows:
- Super Bowl 4
- Super Bowl 54
- Super Bowl 57
- Super Bowl 58
Three of those championships have come with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes as the team’s coach and quarterback. They are going for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat in 2025 and will need to win just three more games to accomplish that goal.
The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six.Â
Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups.Â
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:Â
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title gameÂ
Mahomes’ wife Brittany gave berth to the couple’s third child – a daughter, Golden Raye – during Kansas City’s playoff bye week. Sterling Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes III (a.k.a. Bronze) are the couple’s other two children.
Just two games remain before NFL fans will know who plays in Super Bowl 59. They are as follows:Â Â
- NFC championship game: Eagles vs. Commanders Â
- AFC championship game: Chiefs vs. BillsÂ
The Chiefs are defending home turf vs. the Bills on Sunday, as Buffalo travels to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri for the matchup.Â
Temperatures will peak at 33 degrees on Sunday. That’s a bit chillier than Saturday’s estimated high of 41 degrees, but there is still a chance that the temperature won’t drop below freezing until after the AFC championship game kicks off.Â
Below are the full details of Sunday’s forecast for Kansas City, Mo., according to the National Weather Service.Â
- High temperature: 33 degreesÂ
- Low temperature: 21 degreesÂ
- Chance of precipitation: 0%Â
- Wind: 3-6 mphÂ
There is not expected to be any precipitation during Sunday’s game nor is there expected to be much wind.Â
The Chiefs placed Rice on injured reserve following the team’s Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.Â
Rice injured his right knee while trying to tackle Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton following an interception by Patrick Mahomes in the first quarter. As Rice went in for the tackle, Mahomes inadvertently collided with the wideout as he attempted to take down Fulton.Â
Rice underwent successful surgery to repair the LCL in his right knee.Â
Here’s the projected 2025 NFL draft order entering the AFC and NFC championship games (picks Nos. 29-30 will be decided by today’s results): according to Tankathon.com:Â
- Tennessee Titans: 3-14 record; .522 strength of schedule (SOS)Â
- Cleveland Browns: 3-14; .536 SOSÂ
- New York Giants: 3-14; .554 SOSÂ
- New England Patriots: 4-13; .471 SOSÂ
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-13; .478 SOSÂ
- Las Vegas Raiders: 4-13; .540 SOSÂ
- New York Jets: 5-12; .495 SOSÂ
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12; .498 SOSÂ
- New Orleans Saints: 5-12; .505 SOSÂ
- Chicago Bears: 5-12; .554 SOSÂ
- San Francisco 49ers: 6-11; .564 SOSÂ
- Dallas Cowboys: 7-10; .522 SOSÂ
- Miami Dolphins: 8-9; .419 SOSÂ
- Indianapolis Colts: 8-9; .457 SOSÂ
- Atlanta Falcons: 8-9; .519 SOSÂ
- Arizona Cardinals: 8-9; .536 SOSÂ
- Cincinnati Bengals: 9-8; .478 SOSÂ
- Seattle Seahawks:Â 10-7; .498 SOSÂ
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers:Â 10-7; .502 SOSÂ
- Denver Broncos: 10-7; .502 SOSÂ
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-7; .502 SOSÂ
- Los Angeles Chargers: 11-6; .467 SOSÂ
- Green Bay Packers: 11-6; .533 SOSÂ
- Minnesota Vikings: 14-3; .474 SOSÂ
- Houston Texans: 10-7; .481 SOSÂ
- Los Angeles Rams: 10-7; .505 SOSÂ
- Baltimore Ravens: 12-5; .529 SOSÂ
- Detroit Lions: 15-2; .519 SOSÂ
- Washington Commanders: 12-5; .436 SOSÂ
- Buffalo Bills: 13-4; .467 SOSÂ
- Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3; .453 SOSÂ
- Kansas City Chiefs: 15-2; .488 SOSÂ
The winner of tonight’s AFC Championship between the Chiefs and Bills will advance to the Super Bowl and play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET.Â