Chiefs rally Bills in overtime, advance to AFC title game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a never-losing performance between two of the NFL’s top teams and its two bright young quarterbacks, the Bills and Chiefs played a classic Sunday night, with one calling the Tails and the other paying for it.

Josh Allen’s decision on the overtime coin toss was his only fault for Buffalo all night.

Patrick Mahomes immediately followed it up against the NFL’s top-ranked but tired defense by marching on the Kansas City downfield, then found Travis Kells in the end zone corner from 8 yards, giving the Chiefs a memorable 42-36 win – And never dominated his opponent with the ball an opportunity.

“It worked well for us this time around,” said Mahomes, whose team is playing in the fourth AFC title game in a row. It stinks. But all you can do is follow the rules the way they’ve been explained and that’s what we did.”

It totally did, setting up a showdown against Cincinnati the following Sunday for another trip to the Super Bowl.

“People didn’t budge,” head coach Andy Reid said, “You talk about an epic game, well, that’s how the players took it.” He had great respect for the buffalo and knew it was going to be a fight and kept going.

What was Reid’s advice to Mahomes?

“When it’s serious, be the Grim Reaper, and get it,” Reed said. “He made everyone around him better.”

The lead changed hands three times in the final two minutes of regulation, and scored 25 points on that stretch. Harrison Butcker, who had previously missed a field goal and extra points, took 49-yards at the end of time to enforce an extra session, and when the Chiefs won the coin toss, Mahomes took care of the rest. kept.

He finished with 378 yards and three touchdowns, including 64 yards to Tyrek Hill and a clutch throw to Kells during the thrilling final minutes of regulation, which sent players streaming off the bench.

“We’ve got tremendous leaders on both sides of the ball, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams,” Hill said. “Nobody panicked. No one was like, ‘Oh, the game’s over, there are 13 seconds left.’ We just did plays.”

Allen did everything he could to prevent another defeat at the end of the season inside Arrowhead Stadium. He threw a go-forward touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis, saving 1:54 in regulation, then second to Davis – his playoff-record fourth TD catch of the game – with 13 seconds remaining in regulation.

Allen’s fault? His coin toss call.

He finished with 329 yards, and Davis finished with eight catches for 201 yards as the Bills lost their ninth straight road playoff game—a streak that included last year’s loss to Kansas City in the AFC title game. is included.

“It’s just hard, you know? To be in that moment again,” Allen said. “It sucks the way it happened, you know? We wanted to win that match. We had the opportunities. Just, yeah, taking it all in, holding on to that feeling, and making sure we get back together again.” Don’t feel like it — back-to-back years in the same place. It’s hard to take.”

All told, Mahomes and Allen threw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns, completed at least 70% of their passes without interception, and — get it — ran for at least 65 yards. led their teams with

No other quarterback in NFL history has accomplished those feats in the game, regular season, or postseason.

“The Chiefs are a good football team. We knew it was going to take one heck of an effort coming here,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott, “and I thought people gave us that effort, starting with passion.” And all the way down the line. But those guys hurt, we’re disappointed – we’re all disappointed, we’re all sick to our stomachs. You move on and you try to learn from it, but it stings. It bites. I’m not going to sugarcane it. It bites.”