How the Chiefs felt watching a different superstar QB beat them with a superstar play
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — With five minutes left, the Kansas City Chiefs' feeling was familiar.
Even with the scoreboard showing them down 2 points to the Buffalo Bills , their most consistent AFC challenger in the last five years, the Chiefs were plotting another fourth-quarter comeback. Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes sat next to each other on the bench, discussing which plays they wanted the offense to run for a potential game-winning drive. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was standing on the sideline looking at his small play sheet, hoping to find the right blitz or coverage changeup to thwart quarterback Josh Allen , the Buffalo Bills' leading man.
After a timeout, the Chiefs' defensive unit was ready for its make-or-break moment: a fourth-and-2 snap from the 26-yard line.
"We're kind of thinking, 'We're going to get a run here,'" linebacker Leo Chenal said. "We were reminding each other that they love the quarterback keep on fourth down. When the game gets tight, that's who they trust to have the ball."
With a stop, the Chiefs defense would've handed the ball to Mahomes with two timeouts and two minutes left, needing just 45 yards to set up a game-winning field goal try for new kicker Spencer Shrader .
But that's not what happened.
Spagnuolo made the correct play call — and his players executed it well for three seconds — but Allen broke free for a 26-yard touchdown run, producing a crescendo from 71,000 fans that proved to be the exclamation point on the Bills' 30-21 victory .
In that moment, Mahomes watched what another superstar quarterback can do to win a game.
CBS play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz called it "the play of the year in the NFL ." Allen's run sealed it as the Bills handed the Chiefs their first loss of the season.
"He's a great player," Chenal said of Allen. "He proved why they want him to have the ball in his hands. We just missed the opportunity to stop them."
In 28 steps, Allen ran through the Chiefs defense.
Allen initially wanted to pass the ball, but he expected the Chiefs to play man-to-man coverage. The Chiefs countered with zone coverage, blanketing the Bills' five pass catchers, all of whom ran short routes.
"The last two years on critical downs, we've had a lot of man (coverage)," linebacker Nick Bolton said. "That's why (Allen) was expecting man."
Defensive end George Karlaftis made the first minor mistake by the Chiefs. He used a speed rush to gain a step on right tackle Ryan Van Demark but lost his pass-rush lane integrity that was supposed to help contain Allen in the pocket. Once Allen ran forward, he sprinted past defensive tackle Mike Pennel , linebacker Drue Tranquill and cornerback Nazeeh Johnson before reaching the end zone. Allen had just a 1.2 percent chance of scoring once he tucked the ball to run, according to Next Gen Stats. The highlight was Allen's first scramble touchdown run against the Chiefs in his seven-year career.
"He just saw a lane, man, and he took it," Bolton said of Allen. "We did a good job of matching the play they had. He used his feet after that. He's a dual-threat guy."
A few minutes later, when the game was over, Mahomes dapped up, hugged and congratulated Allen, the front-runner for NFL MVP.
"Hell of a game, man," Mahomes said. He ended the quick chat with a message to Allen, alluding to a playoff rematch in January: "We'll do it again, baby."
Inside the visitors locker room, Chiefs players were upset with themselves and the mistakes they made that snapped several impressive streaks.
The Chiefs had won the previous eight games they had trailed by 7 or more points.
The previous nine times they'd trailed by seven points or more, the Chiefs had won the game, the most in NFL history. Since Christmas Day last year, they had won 15 straight games. Sunday's loss was also the first time since Super Bowl LVII that the Chiefs surrendered at least 30 points.
"It was super special, man," Bolton said of the 30-game streak for the Chiefs defense. "When you keep teams under 30, most of the time it's pursuit (of the ball carrier) and guys limiting explosive plays. In this game, we should've kept them under 30."
The result of Sunday's game means there's a true race for the AFC's No. 1 seed, a three-team sprint — between the Chiefs (9-1), the Bills (9-2) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) — with seven weeks left in the regular season. Had the Chiefs won Sunday, they would've held a commanding lead in the conference. But there's no longer much margin for error, especially because the Bills own the tiebreaker.
. RavensThe Chiefs, who are still atop the standings, have critical games coming up against the Los Angeles Chargers , the Houston Texans and the Steelers.
Mahomes is now a long shot to win the MVP award, but he can still lead the Chiefs to a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
"That's a good team," Mahomes said of the Bills. "Nothing to hang your head on losing to them. We feel like we can play better. We'll get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better team in the end.
"The undefeated thing was cool, but that's not our ultimate goal. We'll keep building towards that."
During the two-minute warning, the raucous crowd of Bills fans chanted "M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!" for Allen. The crowd produced another loud roar when linebacker Terrel Bernard intercepted Mahomes' desperation deep pass on fourth down. Mahomes' pass was intended for tight end Travis Kelce , who did a golf clap gesture toward Bills fans as he walked off the field.
Before the Chiefs exited the locker room, Chenal shared that he and his teammates plan to use their first loss as motivation with a three-word phrase: Remember the feeling.
"We've been kind of living up here a little bit," Chenal said, his right hand near his forehead. "We kind of sunk down with this, but we want to remember this, possibly the next time we play them."
(Photo: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
