The duo broke the playoff touchdown record held by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski

Some things in life simply belong together. Think salt and pepper, socks and shoes…or Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, who set a new NFL playoff record in Buffalo on Sunday night.

With a three-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter of the AFC divisional round matchup between the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, Mahomes and Kelce broke the record for the most touchdown passes from a quarterback to a receiver in playoff history. The previous record-holders were Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, who won three Super Bowls together with the New England Patriots.

The record-tying touchdown

Mahomes exploited a coverage breakdown to find Kelce for the tight end’s first touchdown since Week 11 of the regular season. Mahomes took the snap out of shotgun, dropped back nearly 10 yards in a clean pocket, and dropped the ball into Kelce’s waiting arms.

Kelce caught the ball, completely alone, at the Buffalo 2. He easily scored from there, and the All-Pro celebrated with a “heart” gesture for pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift, enjoying the action from a suite at Highmark Stadium.

On first-and-goal from the Buffalo 3, Mahomes took the snap from under center and quickly tossed a screen pass to a withdrawn Kelce. The 34-year-old caught the ball, bounced to his left, and dove into the end zone before being ruled down by contact.

This touchdown was the 16th touchdown Mahomes has thrown to Kelce in the NFL playoffs — a combination that is responsible for 42 percent of all the touchdown passes Mahomes has recorded in postseason play. It is one more than Brady threw to Gronkowski over the span of a decade, between 2011 and 2021.