Bills defeat Chiefs in rematch of last season's epic AFC divisional playoff game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Can we get another rematch?
The Buffalo Bills exacted a measure of revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday with a 24-20 verdict in the much-anticipated rematch of last season’s thrilling AFC divisional playoff.
It wasn’t settled until Taron Johnson intercepted Patrick Mahomes with 56 seconds left, thwarting Kansas City’s chance for another big comeback.
Josh Allen passed for 329 yards and three TDs – including a 14-yard bullet to Dawson Knox with 1:04 remaining – to help lift Buffalo to 5-1. The Chiefs fell to 4-2.
Mahomes threw for 338 yards and two TDs, but had two picks, including the game-sealing shot.
Given the classic playoff matchup in January and another nail-biter on Sunday, it would be NFL justice if these two teams meet again in the playoffs with much more at stake.
Three other things we learned:
A squib kick is a terrible idea against the Chiefs
Maybe it’s damned if they do, damned if they don’t. The Bills tried a squib kick after scoring a touchdown near the end of the first half and it backfired – just like it did when they kicked it deep in the AFC divisional playoff game. In January, Patrick Mahomes & Co. took just 13 seconds for the field goal as the clock expired to force overtime. This time, Kansas City, starting at its 28-yard line after the short kick, managed to score in 16 seconds – capped by Harrison Butker’s franchise-record, 62-yard field goal to knot the game at 10-10 as the clock expired on the first half.
JuJu Smith-Schuster still rolls with immaturity on his sleeves
The flamboyant wide receiver scored his first touchdown as a Chief on a scintillating, 42-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter after hauling in a pass in traffic, then spinning out of a tackle to escape to an open field. That was Smith-Schusterat his best. Later in the quarter, he demonstrated his silly side again – flagged for taunting after talking trash and pointing fingers at several Bills after snagging a pass on the Buffalo sideline. This is the same Smith-Schuster who was admonished during his Pittsburgh tenure for me-first actions that included various TikTok antics and an Instagram video of himself driving over 100 miles per hour on a parkway.
Stephon Diggs is the man
Sure, we knew that already. But Diggs merely reaffirmed his status as arguably the NFL’s best receiver with another monster game, finishing with 10 catches for 148 yards and a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave Buffalo a 17-10 lead.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bills-Chiefs score: Buffalo tops Chiefs in rematch of playoff thriller