When Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen face off against one another this weekend, it won’t just be a matchup of two of the league’s best quarterbacks.

No, it will also be a clash of ‘fairly good friends,’ as Allen told reporters this week, with the pair’s relationship extending far past their on-field meetings.

The Chiefs’ Sunday trip to Buffalo in the divisional round of the playoffs will be the seventh time the quarterbacks have battled in their young careers and the third postseason meeting between them.

And while their franchises stand directly in each other’s way for a trip to the Super Bowl, there’s a deep respect and kinship between these talented passers.

‘We’re fairly good friends, and obviously, in the offseason, we tend to play some together,’ Allen said. ‘He’s a fantastic player; his track record and his resume speaks for himself at such a young age. One of the greatest quarterbacks to already play this game.’

Josh Allen (left) and Patrick Mahomes have a great respect for one another on and off the field

The pair will face off this weekend as Allen looks to move closer to his first Super Bowl

Mahomes and Allen teamed up last year at ‘The Match,’ a charity golf tournament

Mahomes spoke in a similarly glowing manner of his friend, who he’s also called a golf teammate at ‘The Match.’

‘Josh is a great dude. I respect the way he plays football and just the guy that he is, but it’s like when two guys that are ultra-competitive that are friends off the field go up against each other, we obviously both want to win.’

It was emblematic of their close relationship that in Week 14 Mahomes – after an offensive offsides call negated a late touchdown vs. the Bills – chose to vent to Allen about the officiating.

‘F*****g terrible,’ he told his friend and rival after the game, as Allen gave him a couple of encouraging taps to the chest.

While Mahomes was left incensed after that game, which played a role in the Chiefs missing out on home-field advantage in the playoffs, he’s so far gotten the better of Allen when it’s mattered most.

The Chiefs quarterback is 2-0 vs. Allen in the postseason, including his miraculous ’13 seconds’ comeback in 2022, when a late Allen touchdown pass was negated in just two plays by Mahomes, who got Kansas City into field goal range and helped force overtime with no time remaining.

Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Allen are seen playing  the American Century Championship

From there, Kansas City managed a 42-36 win to move on and inflict a loss that still haunts Buffalo. The Chiefs also beat the Bills 38-24 the year before in the AFC Championship game, with Mahomes totaling 325 yards and three touchdowns.

Mahomes is often dubbed a ‘once-in-a-generation’ talent, but his rivalry with Allen has some historical precedent. Look no further than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Before Mahomes and Allen, the AFC ran through Brady and Manning, who did battle for years as they each put together Hall off Fame-caliber careers.

Like Brady, Mahomes has tasted championship success earlier in his career. The legendary Patriots passer won the Super Bowl in his first year as a starter, while Mahomes achieved the feat the second time of asking.

He added another ring to his collection last year vs. the Eagles, while Allen – playing the Manning role thus far – hasn’t yet made it to a Super Bowl.

It took the ex-Colts and Broncos passer nine years to capture his first ring, and another nine to add his second with Denver; Allen is only in his sixth year but is surely growing weary of the wait.

Nonetheless, Manning and Brady – a seven-time champion by the time he finished – both finished their careers as football royalty and also developed a close relationship as they gave fans a generation of football memories.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning had a famous rivalry as they battled in the AFC over the years

Brady went 11-6 against Manning all-time, though Manning won three out of five playoff games

‘I really like Peyton,’ Brady told Jim Gray on Westwood Radio One in 2016. ‘There are a lot of things in common that we’ve had over the years, so it’s nice to have someone who can relate to a lot of similar experiences we’ve had. Being that we were in it together for so long at the same time, it’s really a special relationship to me.

‘[We’ve] had a great friendship over the years, and hopefully, it will stay that way for many years to come,’ he continued.

Mahomes and Allen are still playing of course, but the former seems to be aware of the platform they now hold within the sport.

‘I grew up watching those games [between Brady and Manning] and remember how many memories I have from that,’ Mahomes said this week Hopefully we can play in these great games as well and give memories to the kids that come up behind us.’

The next ‘great game’ (hopefully) between the pair will come on Sunday at 6:30ET, as Mahomes will play what is amazingly the first away game of his playoff career.

Mahomes and Allen will be looking for bragging rights this weekend in the divisional round

While the Chiefs are the defending champs, it’s the Bills who are looking hotter at the moment.

Dating back to its Week 14 nailbiter at Arrowhead, Buffalo has won six games in a row. The Chiefs meanwhile, took care of business in a frigid test vs. the Dolphins, but haven’t looked nearly as explosive as past seasons.

Now, after defending their home turf twice vs. Buffalo in recent postseasons, the roles are reversed. It will be Mahomes looking to knock off Allen as the underdog – at least according to the sportsbooks.

Mahomes – aiming to repeat as a champion – and Allen – aiming to scale that summit for the first time – won’t need any extra motivation this weekend.

But you can bet their friendship will be in the backs of their minds as things unfold in Western New York.

‘We know we see each other in the offseason,’ Mahomes said,  ‘and you want to have a little bit of those bragging rights.’