In the culmination of their season, the Buffalo Bills faced a decisive defeat on Sunday night, succumbing 27-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
In a quarterback showdown of prowess, Josh Allen orchestrated a performance totaling 258 yards, marked by a passing touchdown and a pair of rushing touchdowns. Accompanying this, James Cook contributed 82 yards, while rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid amassed five receptions for 45 yards.
The Buffalo defense encountered challenges throughout the game, struggling to contain Patrick Mahomes and the formidable Kansas City offense. The Chiefs, amassing 363 total yards, capitalized on five out of seven drives, excluding the drives concluding each half that saw deliberate kneels.
Buffalo predominantly relied on its rushing attack, particularly flourishing in the first half with 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns, both orchestrated by Allen. However, the success waned in the second half, yielding only 58 rushing yards.
Costly errors plagued Buffalo, as exemplified by Travis Kelce’s uncontested reception leading to Kansas City’s initial touchdown. Mahomes later connected with Mecole Hardman on two occasions in the second half, each resulting in plays of 30+ yards.
In a bold move, the Bills attempted a fake punt in the fourth quarter, thwarted by the Kansas City punt return team. Despite a late-game opportunity to reclaim the lead, a failed third-and-long conversion by Allen and a subsequent missed 44-yard field goal by Tyler Bass marked the conclusion of the game and the Bills’ season.
Key Statistical Insights:
- Stefon Diggs surpassed James Lofton for the third-most playoff receiving yards in team history with 21 receiving yards.
- Josh Allen, with three total touchdowns, joined Patrick Mahomes as the second quarterback in NFL history with at least 26 total touchdowns in their first 10 playoff games.
- Allen’s two rushing touchdowns in the first half equaled Jalen Hurts for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season (regular season + playoffs).
- Allen surpassed Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson for the second-most rushing yards in the playoffs by a quarterback, trailing only Steve Young.
- Allen tied/passed quarterback Jim Kelly for the most touchdown passes in the postseason with 21, ranking fifth-most in an NFL quarterback’s first 10 playoff games, behind Mahomes, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, and Dan Marino.
- Tight end Dawson Knox surpassed Keith McKeller, securing the most receptions by a Bills tight end in postseason history with 28.
- For the first time in team history, Buffalo recorded 10+ rushing first downs in consecutive postseason games.
Scoring Plays:
- 8:08 1Q | BUF 3 KC 0 | Tyler Bass 27-yard field goal is GOOD
- 4:35 1Q | BUF 3 KC 3 | Harrison Butker 47-yard field goal is GOOD
- 13:32 2Q | BUF 10 KC 3 | Josh Allen run left for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN
- 9:12 2Q | BUF 10 KC 6 | Harrison Butker 29-yard field goal is GOOD
- 3:33 2Q | BUF 10 KC 13 | Patrick Mahomes pass deep left to Travis Kelce for 22 yards, TOUCHDOWN
- 0:26 2Q | BUF 17 KC 13 | Josh Allen run up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN
- 11:48 3Q | BUF 17 KC 20 | Patrick Mahomes pass short left to Travis Kelce for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN
- 3:23 3Q | BUF 24 KC 20 | Josh Allen pass short left to Khalil Shakir for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN
- 14:20 4Q | BUF 24 KC 27 | Isiah Pacheco run short left for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN