The Kansas City Chiefs no longer have to worry about chasing the 1972 Miami Dolphins. However, they may have to worry about the Buffalo Bills coming after them in 2024.
The Chiefs entered the game with a perfect record of 9-0, but the Bills won 30-21. Suddenly, the 9-2 Bills were one loss behind Kansas City in the standings, forcing a head-to-head tiebreaker. The battle for the No. 1 seed in the AFC has begun.
Josh Allen’s 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down just before the two-minute warning was the knockout punch no other team had been able to land against Kansas City this season.
The Chiefs have been getting away with narrow wins all season, like last week when they blocked a short, potential game-winning field goal on the final play against the Denver Broncos. In the end, the Chiefs were unable to win a close game in strange fashion. The Bills’ aggressive play-calling in the fourth quarter was the difference, as they went for a field goal instead of going for a field goal that would have been a five-point lead.
The Bills deserved to hand the Chiefs their first loss. It could end up being costly for Kansas City.
buffalo gets hot
Buffalo has been playing well for the majority of the season, and despite a heartbreaking loss to Kansas City in the playoffs, they have had tough battles against the Chiefs over the past few seasons. The Bills got off to a fast start, picking on Patrick Mahomes when Mahomes tried to force a pass just as he was about to go down with a sack. That led to a touchdown and a little bit of early momentum for the Bills.
The game was close from beginning to end, but the Bills always seemed to have a lead. They never trailed by more than one point in the game. The Bills weren’t as explosive against a good Chiefs defense, but Allen played well enough to keep Buffalo moving forward. Buffalo led 23-14 early in the fourth quarter.
But it’s the Chiefs who have never been out of the game. And all of Buffalo knew it.
Kansas City tight end Noah Gray scored a touchdown, his second TD of the game and Mahomes’ third passing touchdown. This cut the Bills’ lead to 23-21. Buffalo had a chance to overwhelm the Chiefs with a long touchdown drive and was in a great position.
They completed a long drive and scored a touchdown. The Bills were in Kansas City territory and made an interesting decision. Instead of going for a field goal from about 45 yards on a 4-and-2 situation, Buffalo went for a field goal with 2 minutes, 27 seconds left.
And Allen made a great play that could be a big hit in the AFC playoff race.
Josh Allen gives the Bills the lead.
Allen stepped back and began a scramble, making a pump fake near the line of scrimmage and running through the tackle attempts of three Chiefs defenders. The 26-yard touchdown gave the Bills a 30-21 lead with 2:17 left.
The Bills understood that kicking a field goal would only give Mahomes a chance to win in the final moments. They went for the kill shot and were rewarded.
That could be a big play in the AFC this season. The Chiefs will have to stumble at least one more time for the Bills to have a shot at the No. 1 seed, but a bye and home-field advantage would be huge. That doesn’t guarantee anything — the Chiefs showed last season that they’re capable of winning on the road in the postseason, including against Buffalo — but it could be a big help.
Kansas City is aiming for a historic third consecutive Super Bowl title this season. For the first nine games, the Chiefs were unscathed. Allen’s one-clutch touchdown run could have made the road back to the Super Bowl much tougher.
