Josh Allen leads Bills to late TD, then defense comes up with big play to beat Chiefs
The Buffalo Bills had to get a playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Buffalo. Not that they're incapable of winning at Kansas City, but they've been down that road each of the last two postseasons. It didn't turn out as they hoped.
Winning on Sunday doesn't ensure a home playoff game against the Chiefs, or even that the Bills would win it if they met in Western New York. But a dramatic win over Kansas City was an huge first step toward that goal.
Josh Allen was able to knock off Patrick Mahomes with a great fourth-quarter drive with his team trailing. Not that the Bills didn't believe in Allen before, but Sunday was a big step for him and the team. So was the defense stopping Mahomes when it had to.
The Bills earned a potentially monumental 24-20 win. Allen hit Dawson Knox with just over a minute to go to give the Bills a lead, then they intercepted Mahomes to seal the win. Buffalo is 5-1 and looks every bit like the best team in football. The win Sunday could be massive for this season.
Of course, the Bills had a regular-season win against the Chiefs last season too. It ultimately didn't matter as the Chiefs got home-field advantage and won a memorable divisional-round playoff game over the Bills. But Sunday was still important, especially how it happened.
Bills had a chance to win late
The Bills had a chance for one epic drive to knock off the Chiefs. They trailed 20-17 with 5:31 to go, more than enough time, starting at their 24-yard line. The Bills faced a fourth-and-inches and picked it up on a Josh Allen quarterback sneak. The clock ticked down near three minutes after that.
Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a first down on third-and-2 shortly before the two minute warning. That got Buffalo into Chiefs territory, and then a great pass and catch between Allen and Diggs got the Bills well within field-goal range.
Then came an incredible Allen hurdle. He ran right on a sweep and jumped over Chiefs safety Justin Reid, picking up extra yards and getting his team to the 12-yard line. It's a play that will be a signature to the Bills' season if they end up with a special ending. Two plays later, Allen threw a laser to Dawson Knox in the end zone for a 14-yard score.
Remembering last season's playoff loss, it felt like a lot of time to give Mahomes. Nobody will forget Mahomes taking the Chiefs downfield for a game-tying field goal against the Bills with just 13 seconds on the clock. He needed just 12 seconds to drive for a field goal at the end of the first half on Sunday too.
The Bills defense blew it last season in a similar spot. That wouldn't happen again.
Chiefs had a chance to answer
Mahomes has pulled off huge comebacks before. The Bills remember well. This time he needed to go 75 yards for a touchdown against a very good Bills defense, but nobody was counting him out.
Then suddenly, the Bills had the ball. Cornerback Taron Johnson read a Mahomes pass perfectly, jumping in front of Skyy Moore for a fantastic diving interception.
It's shocking to see Mahomes not pull off a great drive for the win. The interception with 51 seconds left seemed like an incomplete end to another great Chiefs-Bills game. Mahomes was great. So was Allen. Mahomes just made the one mistake that took the Chiefs out of the game. Give the Bills defense credit for making the play they needed, something it didn't do at Arrowhead Stadium last January.
There could be another meeting. These two teams seem like they're the best in the AFC, and maybe the entire NFL. But unless the Bills really stumble, odds are that rematch would happen in Buffalo, thanks to their head-to-head win on Sunday evening. That's a pretty big deal for the Bills. Maybe a game in Buffalo would lead to a different playoff outcome.
