Bills Halt Chiefs

The Chiefs got the best of the Bills in the AFC contenders’ last two big-spotlight meetings, first in the conference championship and then, last year, in the divisional round’s wildest shootout. But not on Sunday. Taron Johnson jumped in front of a late Patrick Mahomes pass to seal a 24-20 victory. 

Both sides started slow in the anticipated showdown, trying so hard for big plays that they ended up with red-zone turnovers. But Mahomes and Josh Allen each delivered downfield strikes as the matchup went on, with Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Von Miller all logging highlights to push Buffalo to 5-1 on the season.

Mahomes notably capped the first half by delivering a pair of quick strikes in the waning seconds to set up a Chiefs franchise-record 62-yard field goal by Harrison Butker that knotted the score at 10-10. He needed just 12 seconds in total to do that, a year after using the final 13 seconds of the Bills-Chiefs playoff game to set up a field goal to force overtime. Just like in that postseason game, the two sides were also tied after the first, second and third quarters.

Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s Bills-Chiefs shootout:

Why the Bills won

The biggest reason is twofold: Josh Allen, predictably, was a big-play machine more often than not; and, though it won’t get nearly as much credit, the defense made plays exactly when it needed them. Let’s start with Allen: he wasn’t very methodical out of the gate, consistently dropping 10-15 yards behind the line in hopes of striking a mega-play, even though Devin Singletary was running into open space with ease. But once Allen’s connection with Stefon Diggs picked up, the offense found its rhythm, and boy did Diggs put on a clinic out wide, finishing with 10 catches for 148 yards and a score.

Gabe Davis’ speed was also on display once more, and Allen showcased his trust to all the outlets, including Dawson Knox, with crunch-time bombs and bullets. Defensively, Taron Johnson deserves credit for jumping Mahomes’ off-balance throw into double coverage to seal the game. But Von Miller was just as pivotal, logging two sacks and keeping Mahomes on the move.

Turning point

Considering this one was back and forth from start to finish, it’s gotta be Mahomes’ second pick, when Johnson jumped the route and took advantage of the Chiefs QB trying to make something out of nothing. That interception put the ball back in Buffalo’s hands, up 24-20 after the Bills’ 12-play TD drive, and sealed the close victory for the visitors.