Bills vs Chiefs Recap
The Bills handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season to move to 9-2 and close the gap in the race for the AFC’s number-one seed. Buffalo took advantage of a Patrick Mahomes interception on the opening drive with an eight-play drive of their own to take a 6-0 lead. After a second-quarter Josh Allen interception, the Chiefs took the lead 14-13 before a 12-play drive by the Bills, resulting in a field goal to end the quarter and go into halftime up 16-14. This would be a lead the Bills never relinquished.
The second half started with four drives ending in punts, 2 for each team, before the Bills went on a 10-play, 83-yard drive capped off with a twelve-yard Curtis Samuel touchdown catch, his first as a Bill. At 23-14, the Bills finally had a two-score lead that lasted about five minutes. The Chiefs went on their own 10-play drive capped off with a one-yard Noah Gray touchdown reception, his second on the night, bringing the score to 23-21. Buffalo followed with their most important drive and coaching decision of the season. Facing 4th and 2 from the Kansas City 26, Sean McDermott opted to go for it instead of attempting a 43-yard field goal for a 5-point lead. Josh Allen did the rest. The Bills finished the game with back-to-back 10+ play-scoring drives, chewing up almost twelve minutes of the game clock for a final score of 30-21. The Bills ended the game instead of giving Mahomes an opportunity to lead a game-winning drive.
This was the fifth straight game that the Bills scored 30+ points, and it was the first time a team has scored 28+ points against the Chiefs in the regular season since week four of the 2022 season.
Bills vs Chiefs Sunday, November 17, 2024
5 Things I Liked
Defensive Game Plan - The Bills generated more pressure on Mahomes than in previous meetings. They collapsed the pocket and forced him to step up, which helped cause the first interception by Taylor Rapp. The Bills’ secondary focused on the Chiefs’ biggest weapons coming into the game, holding DeAndre Hopkins to 3 catches for 29 yards and Travis Kelce to 8 yards on 2 catches. Xavier Worthy had a big first half but was held without a touch in the second half. Great job by Bobby Babich and Sean McDermott.
Penalties - Three accepted penalties for 24 yards. Both are season lows. Impressive, given the Bills entered the game with the second-most false start penalties on the season with an officiating crew that calls the second-most.
Wide Receivers - 80% of the receiving yards were by the wide receivers on Sunday. Amari Cooper, Mack Hollins, and Khalil Shakir were chain movers on offense with timely receptions that kept drives alive. Curtis Samuel had his best game in a Bills uniform with season highs in catches and yards along with his first touchdown on the year.
Winning in the Trenches - The offensive line didn’t allow a sack in a game for the third time this season. O'Cyrus Torrence and Ryan Van Demark, filling in for the injured Spencer Brown, played all 73 snaps on the right side and held their own against one of the league’s best defenses. On defense, the Bills sacked Mahomes twice, had three tackles for a loss, and finished the game with seven quarterback hits. They held the Chiefs to 78 yards on the ground, 33 yards below their season average.
Time of Possession Battle - The Bills won the time of possession battle, having the ball for 34:03 of the game clock to the Chiefs at 25:57. The Chiefs entered the game as the second-ranked team in time of possession at 32:43/game. Converting 60% of your third downs and having five drives of eight plays or more are critical to having success against the two-time defending champs.
5 4 Things I Didn’t Like
Running Plays - The Bills called 13 running plays on first downs. They gained 22 yards for a 1.7 yards-per-carry average. They overcame this, but starting drives that lead to 2nd/3rd and longs is not usually a recipe for success. The Bills offense was 9-15 on third down, which made up for this, but it’s something that Joe Brady and the offense need to figure out in the bye week.
Interception - Josh Allen has an interception in four consecutive games after seven straight games without one to start the season. This one was particularly ugly on a fourth down toss to Dawson Knox that was easily intercepted and returned 29 yards to set up the Chiefs’ second touchdown drive.
Missed PAT - Tyler Bass has been on a bit of a roll lately but the miss to start the game in perfect conditions was frustrating. Fortunately, it didn’t impact the game, but these should be automatic. Bass has missed four on the year.
Challenges - I’m not sure what McDermott was told that led him to challenge the DeAndre Hopkins catch on the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive, but it was clearly a catch. Losing a timeout and a challenge early in the game can come back to bite you. This time it didn’t.
Critical Plays From the Game
Xavier Worthy's failure to get both feet in on the deep pass to start the Chiefs drive after the Bills took the lead 13-7 was a crucial mistake. Instead of first and ten from the Bills' 30, the Chiefs set up for second and 10 from their own 30. An incomplete pass and a Von Miller sack led to a three-and-out and Matt Araiza's punt.
Khalil Shakir’s reception on third and nine with about four minutes to go in the fourth quarter was crucial in the Bills taking a 30-21 lead instead of punting the ball back to Mahomes. Somehow, Shakir held on, and four plays later, Josh Allen scrambled for his game-clinching 26-yard touchdown.
Stat(s) of the Game
BillsBanter Group Chat Quote of the Game
“And Xavier was not Worthy in the second half”
Postgame Quote of the Game
Postgame Perspective
This was a big win for the Bills because it still leaves the possibility of getting the one seed in the AFC. The bye week is coming at the best time for a team with multiple banged-up players and some important players who will be returning from injuries. Heading into it after a victory is a plus. The emergence of Samuel in the offense, along with Knox getting involved, are two positives to take away from the current injuries the team is dealing with. Spencer Brown, Keon Coleman, and Dalton Kincaid should be ready to return after the bye. DeWayne Carter, Matt Milano, and Dawuane Smoot all have the potential to return over the next three weeks. Getting healthy is the priority. Go Bills!
Up Next: Buffalo vs San Francisco - Sunday, December 1st 8:20 PM
