The 2021 AFC divisional round game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills was the latest duel between two of the conference’s top quarterbacks. The epic fourth quarter has been considered by many as the greatest in history, even prompting changes to the NFL’s overtime rules.
The quarterback on the losing end of the game was Josh Allen, who, despite a fantastic performance, came up short again at Arrowhead Stadium. Ironically, he will be teaming up with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes next month for a golf challenge against veterans Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.
Allen appeared as a guest on ‘The Steam Room Podcast‘ hosted by Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley to discuss his friendship and rivalry with Mahomes following last year’s battle.
“I mean, we were both at Miami this weekend at F1,” Allen began. “We were texting to see if we were (both) there Saturday night. He FaceTimes me and he’s like, ‘Come here.’ And you know, sure enough, we go up and we hung out for an hour and a half, two hours, just kind of hanging around, talking, having a good time. I’ve spent a couple of times around Patrick (Mahomes), but every time I’m around him, he’s just a great dude. He’s a great personality; he’s fun to be around. And obviously, all the respect that I have from on the field, I think it’s a different vibe than what people think.”
Allen has a career record of 1-3 vs. Mahomes and the Chiefs, with his lone victory coming last October in a Bills Sunday night 38-20 win at Arrowhead Stadium. Buffalo is 0-2 against Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs, where the notion of a bitter rivalry comes from.
“Again, when we step on that field, we were supposed to be competitors,” Allen explained. “It’s the old mantra, ‘You gotta hate your enemy.’ But I would say that we have a really good relationship, especially for, you know, the type of games that we tend to play in. (The) AFC championship two years ago, and obviously, the divisional last year. But he is — he’s awesome. He really is. love being around him. And I’m super excited for this opportunity with him. Because I think the other side, they’re gonna riff a little more than, than me and Pat, I think we’re gonna feed off each other pretty well.”
The pair of rivals will be teammates on the golf course for the upcoming iteration of ‘The Match.’ The two will be facing off against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, so Allen didn’t want to give away too many of the team’s secrets during the podcast.
“I’m a seven-five,” said Allen when asked about his golf handicap, followed by not wanting to reveal Mahomes’ progress. “I don’t know. But he gave me a score. I’m not gonna give you guys any insight. So you can tell Tom and Aaron, so I know you’ll run off and let him know. But he had a good round last week, so we’ll be good off won’t be long off the tee. We just gotta make some putts.”
Barkley, a golf aficionado, spoke briefly about playing a round of golf with both Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the past at the American Century Championship.
“I actually played with Pat in Tahoe a couple of years ago,” Barkely said. “And he really, he hasn’t been playing golf that long. And man, his speed through the ball was very — I played with him and Travis, and man, they will go at it. Yeah, now he ain’t got no idea was doing, but it was pretty impressive to watch.”
The golf matchup is shaping up to be just as exciting as the play on the football field. We will see which player has the better golf game soon in front of a national audience.
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