The Bills have returned to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2020, and are preparing to face an all too familiar foe.

The Chiefs stand in the way of Buffalo’s path to the Super Bowl, as the road to the big game goes through Kansas City in a clash between two teams who were both undefeated at home.

KC is the setting where the Chiefs won the last time these two clubs met in this round, and their rivalry has been a storied one in recent years.

“You always remember the feeling of not pulling through. That really sticks with you,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of the loss four years ago.

“I remember playing in that game and watching the confetti fall for the opposing team and how that felt. I don’t want to feel that again,” added defensive tackle Ed Oliver.

Even though the loss, that was then and this is now. With the Super Bowl once more within reach, the Bills realize the past is in the past.

“It disappears. It’s just a part of history now. It disappears,” offensive lineman Dion Dawkins said about the past playoff losses to Kansas City.

What’s held them back from victory in these postseason matchups with the Chiefs?

“The find a way factor,” defensive end AJ Epenesa said. “We’ve got to be able to get over that last hump and find a way to win.”

Von Miller, who joined the Bills during the 2022 season as a free agent, spoke to how the team’s Super Bowl-caliber potential brought him to Buffalo.

“That’s what I came here to do — was to be a part of history. These Bills fans, they deserve it,” said the veteran outside linebacker.

For newer members of the Bills roster, the opportunity is also significant.

“When you get this far, you can taste it,” shared receiver Amari Cooper, who was acquired in a trade this season. “This is what you dream of… It feels like I’ve prepared for this moment all my life.”

While the Bills enter the game with some injuries, they also will feature players who missed their regular season win over Kansas City at home in Orchard Park including inside linebacker Matt Milano, offensive lineman Spencer Brown, tight end Dalton Kincaid, receiver Keon Coleman, and defensive end Dawuane Smoot.

That Buffalo won decisively in their prior meeting without these players is a positive takeaway, though beating Andy Reid’s squad in the postseason and advancing beyond the Conference Championship round of the playoffs have both been obstacles the Bills have yet to hurdle in the Sean McDermott era.

With the rivalry between the two clubs being rich with storylines and subplots aplenty, quarterback Josh Allen and the rest of the Bills players will look to turn the page and start a new chapter by advancing with a win to the Super Bowl.