Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs sneak past Bills to reach AFC title game
The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to the AFC championship game.
The Chiefs, thanks to a missed Buffalo field goal late, edged out a close 27-24 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Highmark Stadium. The victory sends them to the conference championship game for a sixth straight season.
After a perfect back-and-forth game in the latest installment of the Patrick Mahomes-Josh Allen battle, Allen led the Bills down the field and into scoring position just inside the two-minute warning. Then Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal, which would have tied the game, just wide right.
With that, Mahomes and the Chiefs hung on to grab the three-point win and seal yet another trip to the AFC title game.
These two teams squared off in the playoffs 2021 and 2022, and both were losses for the Bills, one in the AFC championship game and one in the divisional round. The Bills were the home team with a trip to the AFC championship on the line this time, but it ultimately didn’t make the difference.
The Chiefs advance to take on the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens next week at M&T Bank Stadium with a return trip to Super Bowl LVIII in their sights.
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Wide right. Again. Gutting for the Bills. All of these missed opportunities are piling up for them. That window doesn’t stay open forever. https://t.co/85IX6SZJc9
Wide right. The Bills missed a 44-yarder, and the Chiefs should win it
The Bills are still moving late in the 4th quarter.
Josh Allen with another massive shot after the Bills got the ball back. This would’ve been huge
Khalil Shakir questionable to return with shoulder injury, per @tracywolfson. Shakir leads Bills with 34 receiving yards & TD, including 2 somehow-didn’t-hit-the-ground grabs
Well, the Bills can’t get anything going and miss a long shot. They have to punt, and the Chiefs get the ball right back.
Here’s a better angle and an explanation from the CBS crew.
Oh boy. The Chiefs fumbled out of the end zone, and the Bills recover after a challenge. What a break for Buffalo
We have a stop. After five straight touchdown drives not including an end-of-half kneel-down, the Chiefs defense stops the Bills. Buffalo goes for it on fourth-and-5 at its own 30 with a fake punt and fails. Big gamble backfires and gives Kansas City the ball already in field goal range.
Isaiah Pacheco pays off the big pass gains with a grind of a four-yard touchdown run to get the lead back for the Chiefs, 27-24. That’s now five lead changes.
Patrick Mahomes finds Marquez Valdes-Scantling on another deep ball, this time for 32 yards to drive into the red zone. Kansas City’s threatening again at the end of the third quarter with Buffalo leading 24-20.
It was a sloppy end zone trip for the Bills, but they found the end zone. Burned a timeout, then took a delay of game to set up third-and-goal at the 13. But Josh Allen found Khalil Shakir in the front left corner of the end zone in a tight window after buying time with his feet.
Fourth lead change of the game puts Buffalo up, 24-20. This one’s living up to the hype.
Travis Kelce scores his second touchdown of the night, and the Chiefs are back on top, 20-17.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught it this time, and it was a doozy. Chiefs are driving on the opening drive of the second half.
Chiefs linebacker Willie game is out of the game with a neck injury.
Josh Allen and Travis Kelce shared some words on the way to their separate locker rooms:
