Imperfect Season

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) slips past Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (13) to score on a 26-yard run during the second half Sunday in Orchard Park.
AP photo

ORCHARD PARK — After watching quarterback Josh Allen bounce off two Kansas City Chiefs defenders before crossing the goal line on a 26-yard run, Bills receiver Khalil Shakir joined the rest of the packed Buffalo stadium by screaming at the top of his lungs.

Allen’s touchdown on fourth-and-2 with 2:16 left sealed Buffalo’s 30-21 win, kept the Bills (9-2) in contention for the AFC’s top seed and spoiled the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs’ bid for a perfect season.

“When Josh takes off, I find myself just watching, like, ‘Wow, he’s different,’” Shakir said. “When he took off today, I just started yelling. I couldn’t stop yelling. I was blanking in the head.”

Bills fans chimed in by chanting “MVP!” while watching the replay of their quarterback bursting up the middle to secure a victory in the latest matchup against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs (9-1), who ended Buffalo’s playoff runs in three of the past four seasons.

Allen evened his record to 4-4 (including playoffs) against the Chiefs. He said he knew what was on the line when coach Sean McDermott elected to go for it on fourth down rather than settle for a field goal.

“I appreciated coach for trusting us,” said Allen, who took off up the right hash mark, shrugged off being shouldered by linebacker Nick Bolton and had enough momentum to reach the end zone while wrapped up by safety Bryan Cook.

“Any time you give the ball back to Pat (Mahomes), that offense, down six with the game on the line, I like their odds in that situation,” Allen added. “So wanting six or seven (points) to try to make it a two-score game.”

Buffalo’s defense ended Kansas City’s desperate final drive when linebacker Terrel Bernard intercepted Mahomes.

James Cook rushed for two first-half touchdowns and Allen threw a 12-yard TD pass to Curtis Samuel early in the third quarter. The Bills never relinquished the lead after going ahead 16-14 on Tyler Bass’ 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

The Chiefs were the NFL’s last undefeated team and finally ran out ways to eke out one-score victories and overcome second-half deficits. The Chiefs had won 15 straight, including playoffs, since they fell 20-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 17, 2023.

“The undefeated thing was cool. But that’s not our ultimate goal. So we’ll keep building toward that,” Mahomes said.

“That’s a good football team. Nothing to hang your head on losing to them,” he added. “We feel like we can play better. So we’ll get back to work and try to use this as a spark so we can be a better football team in the end.”

There’s a chance these teams will meet again in the playoffs, where the Chiefs have dominated the rivalry. Though Buffalo has won four straight regular-season meetings dating to 2021, the Chiefs have won three straight playoff matchups, including a 27-24 win at Buffalo in the divisional round in January.

“It’s a great game to learn from for some of our young guys. Two good teams play each other, the margin between winning and losing is small,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We can all learn from it and take something out of it to make us better down the road there. And we’ll do that.”

Mahomes finished 23 of 33 for 196 yards with three touchdown passes — two to tight end Noah Gray and another to Xavier Worthy — and two interceptions.

The Chiefs had shown resolve in winning their first nine games by a combined 58 points, with four decided on the final play. That included a 16-14 win over Denver last week in which Leo Chenal blocked Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

This time, there were no late dramatics from a Chiefs offense that finished with a season-low 259 yards.

The Bills have won six straight and moved closer to their fifth straight AFC East title. Buffalo is 9-2 or better through 11 games for the sixth time in team history and first since 1992.

“No statement,” McDermott said of the win’s significance. “This is not the finish line.”

The Bills have a chance to rest and heal up entering their bye week. Amari Cooper made two catches for 58 yards while playing with a sore left wrist, and wide receiver Keon Coleman (right wrist) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) were sidelined by injuries.

Allen played through a sore throwing hand, which was examined on the sideline during the game. He finished 27 of 40 for 262 yards with the TDs passing and rushing and an interception.

The rushing touchdown was the 58th of Allen’s career, moving him into second on the Bills list, one ahead of O.J. Simpson and seven behind Thurman Thomas. Allen’s two-touchdown outing also increased his total to 244, tying Jim Kelly for first in team history.

Up next

Chiefs: At Carolina next Sunday.

Bills: After a bye, host San Francisco on Dec. 1.