NFL

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills

· National Football League
9-1, 4-1 Away
Final
21 - 30
9-2, 5-0 Home

Josh Allen seals Bills' 30-21 win over Chiefs with TD run, ending bid for perfect season

Josh Allen ices the game with incredible rushing TD on 4th down

Allen's touchdown on fourth-and-2 with 2:17 left sealed Buffalo’s 30-21 victory, 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! 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 Curtis Samuel early in the fourth 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 — 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.

How can I watch Chiefs vs. Bills?

  • TV Channel: Chiefs at Bills 2021-22 NFL, week 11 is broadcasted nationally on CBS and NFL Sunday Ticket - Paramount+ NFL on CBS 2021 - Try it FREE!.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Chiefs vs. Bills on DAZN.

Matchup Prediction

Bills: 53.0%
Chiefs: 46.6%
*According to ESPN's Football Power Index

Scoring Summary

BUF TD 1st Period 10:00 James Cook 3 Yd Rush (Tyler Bass PAT Failed)
KC TD 2nd Period 14:53 Xavier Worthy 10 Yd pass from Patrick Mahomes (Spencer Shrader Kick)
BUF TD 2nd Period 10:08 James Cook 6 Yd Rush (Tyler Bass Kick)
KC TD 2nd Period 2:51 Noah Gray 2 Yd pass from Patrick Mahomes (Spencer Shrader Kick)
BUF FG 2nd Period 0:00 Tyler Bass 33 Yd Field Goal
BUF TD 4th Period 12:51 Curtis Samuel 12 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass Kick)
KC TD 4th Period 7:53 Noah Gray 1 Yd pass from Patrick Mahomes (Spencer Shrader Kick)
BUF TD 4th Period 2:17 Josh Allen 26 Yd Rush (Tyler Bass Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/kc.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKC https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF
19 1st Downs 24
15 Passing 1st downs 13
3 Rushing 1st downs 9
1 1st downs from penalties 2
5-10 3rd down efficiency 9-15
0-1 4th down efficiency 1-2
52 Total Plays 71
259 Total Yards 366
5.0 Yards per Play 5.2
9 Total Drives 10
181 Passing 262
23/33 Comp/Att 27/40
5.2 Yards per pass 6.6
2 Interceptions thrown 1
2-15 Sacks-Yards Lost 0-0
78 Rushing 104
17 Rushing Attempts 31
4.6 Yards per rush 3.4
3-3 Red Zone (Made-Att) 3-4
6-57 Penalties 3-24
2 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 0
2 Interceptions thrown 1
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
25:57 Possession 34:03

Game Information

Highmark Stadium

Location: Orchard Park, NY
Attendance: 71,112 · Capacity:

2024 AFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Kansas City 9 1 .900 0 240 191
Los Angeles 7 3 .700 0 220 145
Denver 6 5 .545 0 235 183
Las Vegas 2 8 .200 0 187 285

2024 AFC East Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Buffalo 9 2 .818 0 320 214
Miami 4 6 .400 0 181 221
New York 3 8 .273 0 204 242
New England 3 8 .273 0 182 248
Full Standings

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