While it may not have been the high scoring game that fans may have been expecting, it sure was a close game like always when it comes to Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. While both quarterbacks did not have the best game, they also did not have the help that they usually have.
All season long, the theme for the Chiefs' offense has been dropped passes by a wide receiver room that is very young. On the Bills' side, it has been inconsistency on offense that has ultimately cost them games.
It took until the last two minutes of the game, but the Bills managed to escape Arrowhead with a 20-17 win to get them to 7-6 on the season. This is the third consecutive time that the Bills have beaten the Chiefs in Kansas City. As the Bills keep their playoff hopes alive, they now turn their attention towards Dallas.
Here are five initial reactions from this Buffalo Bills victory in Week 14.
5.) Josh Allen’s interception streak extends
Even though the Buffalo Bills got up early on the Chiefs, that did not stop quarterback Josh Allen from extending his interception streak to nine consecutive games. Since Week 5, Allen has had one interception in eight games and two interceptions in one game.
In the second quarter, Chiefs’ defender Chamarri Conner picked off Allen when the Bills were driving and it stalled the offense for a bit. Even though Allen has been dynamic at times, this season is highlighted by his turnovers. In this nine game stretch, there has only been one game (against the New York Jets) where the interception was not the worst idea as it was a hail mary pass.
This streak is the longest in the NFL in six seasons, and it sums up how the Bills’ season has gone up until this game. One mistake can cost momentum and force a game closer than it should be.
4.) Buffalo Bills’ offense struggled in the second half
In two of the first three offensive drives for the Bills, it resulted in six points each. First it was a James Cook receiving touchdown and then it was a Josh Allen run that a pile pushed across the goaline. In the second half, the Bills would score just six points off of two field goals as they failed to capitalize off of the turnovers that the Buffalo defense forced. With a mixture of dropped passes, failure to create separation, as well as lack of protection upfront.
The Bills will need to play better complimentary football moving forward as the defense let up and the offense was not helping them. However, the defense did what it needed to do to come out with a win.
3.) The Bills win their second away game of the season
This is just the second road win for the Bills this season. Their first win away from home was back in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders. They are now 2-4 away from home, but do end up beating a team that they could very well see in the playoffs if they do make it.
While it is still possible but more than likely not going to happen, the Bills have a chance to win the division depending on how the Miami Dolphins perform down the stretch. However, with it being an uphill battle from here on out, the Bills could very well see themselves on the road in the postseason should they clinch a spot.
Road victories are the toughest, especially in a stadium that is known for being extremely loud and against the best quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. Teams who can go on the road and win are the teams that no one should want to face. The Bills have two more road games left on the season in Los Angeles against the Chargers, and against the Miami Dolphins.
2.) The game was closer than it should have been
At one point in the game, it was all Buffalo as they took an early 14-0 lead. However, that story would change as the game progressed. The Bills allowed the Chiefs to crawl their way back into the game to tie it up at 17 all.
The Chiefs would then drive it down the field on their last drive and if it was not for wideout Kadarius Toney lining up offsides, the Chiefs would have taken the lead off of a Travis Kelce reception in which he threw it back to Toney that took it to the house with just over one minute left in the game.
The Bills looked vanilla after their second touchdown in the second quarter and the game basically came down to who made the fewer mistakes. Buffalo played great football on defense aside from them giving up a 14-0 lead. It was the offense that almost cost them the game in the end. A win is a win at the end of the day, and it was against a team that is in the playoff race. However, the Bills are known for not being able to get the win in those close games. They managed to do that today.
1.) The Bills are still in the playoff race
Coming into this game, the Bills knew what was on the line. It was a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive after falling to 6-6 two weeks ago in Philadelphia. If they could not get out of Kansas City with a win, their chances to make the playoffs would have more than likely been thrown out of the window. They already had losses to Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Denver, in which all three were in the playoff race and ahead of the Bills. They could not afford another conference loss in the last month of football.
With this win, the Bills are now tied at 7-6 with five other teams (Steelers, Colts, Texans, Bengals, Broncos). Not only will they need to win a majority (if not all of their games) but they will need help to sneak in the back door to get into the playoffs. The AFC is going to be a fight until the end and the Bills will have another challenge on their hands as they welcome the Dallas Cowboys next week in Orchard Park.