The Chiefs are no longer perfect and the Bills are getting dangerously close to perfection. By winning this critical duel, Buffalo stays alive for the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
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The Bills won 30-21 and now have a record of nine wins and two losses. For the Chiefs, it was a first defeat, after nine victories. This means that the fight for first place in the conference is in full swing.
What the Bills accomplished was no small feat. Yes, the Chiefs were shaky despite their perfect record, winning seven games by one possession. It couldn’t last forever.
Still, it is never easy to beat this team which enjoys an aura of indestructibility and which always finds an impossible way to get out. Mentally, this is a huge win for the Bills.
Not only had the Chiefs not lost this season, but their last loss was at Christmas last year. We are talking about a streak of 15 victories.
Allen saves the day
The Bills were clinging to a slim 23-21 lead in the fourth quarter and it was appreciable that they remained aggressive. We should never play against the Chiefs like we would play against any other team.
The insurance touchdown came on a 26-yard run from quarterback Josh Allen on fourth down with two yards to go.
If the play had failed, many would have undoubtedly wanted to crucify head coach Sean McDermott, but it was 100% the decision to make rather than attempt a field goal and hope, at best, for a lead of five small points .
Against the Chiefs, a five-point lead often disappears faster than a pizza in front of a bunch of teenagers.
The worst part is that before this defining game in the Bills’ season, Allen was not having a spectacular game. Some of his passes were errant, with him completing 27 of 40 attempts for 262 yards, with a touchdown pass and an interception.
Everyone contributes
Receiver Curtis Samuel had a strong game for the Bills. – Photo Getty Images via AFP
The Bills are different this year and that’s a good thing. Gone are the days when Josh Allen had to do absolutely everything and have ridiculous games for the Bills to stand up to the best teams.
Let us be clear, he plays excellent football, but everyone puts their own effort into it.
An example? Curtis Samuel became the 11e Bills player this season to catch a touchdown pass, an NFL high. You never know who will be the aggressor in this attack. The latter had only caught 16 passes for 127 yards this season, a true ghost. Against the Chiefs, his five receptions for 58 yards changed the game.
In their last 30 games, the Chiefs had not given up more than 28 points. The fact that the Bills managed to put 30 points in their teeth says a lot.
It would be churlish not to salute another solid defensive performance from the Bills. Patrick Mahomes was limited to 196 yards and had two of his passes intercepted. Travis Kelce, on fire for a month, only caught two passes for eight yards.
Josh Allen said after the match that it was a victory like any other, that it didn’t have any special flavor. Maybe because he knows that no matter what the Bills do in the regular season, they’ll have to get past the Chiefs in the playoffs, something they still haven’t done in the Allen era.
More than ever, it seems possible.
5 KEY MOMENTS
1. Poor Bears!
Karl Brooks blocked the Bears’ field goal late in the game. – Photo Getty Images via AFP
The Bears are truly becoming the kings of heartbreaking defeats this season. After the famous “Hail Mary” of the Commanders, they lost yet another match in the final moments. Trailing the Packers 20-19, they moved down the field in the final minutes, until they lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt. Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks blocked the punt and that was it for the Bears, who saw their losing streak extend to four.
2. The Ravens are sinking
Lamar Jackson had another tough game in Pittsburgh. – Photo Getty Images via AFP
In their feud with the Steelers, the Ravens lost by missing a two-point convert when a Lamar Jackson run went nowhere, but that’s not just where the game was decided. The Ravens committed three turnovers, were penalized 12 times and their kicker Justin Tucker missed two field goals. Jackson was held in check, completing only 48.5% of his passes. The Ravens have lost eight of the last nine games against the Steelers, who have a two-game lead atop the North Division.
3. A convincing return
Anthony Richardson scored the game-winning touchdown on the ground. – Photo Getty Images via AFP
After being confined to the bench for a few weeks, Colts second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson has really come back strong. In the victory against the Jets, he scored the winning touchdown on a run with 46 seconds left. The young quarterback had his most convincing game of the season with 20 of 30 completions for 272 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing 10 times for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Well, it must be said that many players are having their best moments against the Jets…
4. You grand Taysom Hill
The Browns were never able to stop Taysom Hill and the Saints. – Photo Getty Images via AFP
Saints handyman Taysom Hill hasn’t been talked about too much this season, between injuries and games where he was little involved. However, he was fantastic in the win against the Browns with 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including one on a long run of 75 yards. He also caught eight passes for 50 yards, in addition to amassing 18 passing yards and 42 yards on a punt return. He became the second player in history with 25 rushing touchdowns, 10 passing touchdowns and 10 more receiving touchdowns.
5. Geno saves the day
Geno Smith gave the Seahawks the victory with a rushing touchdown in the final moments of the game. – Photo Getty Images via AFP
The Seahawks caused one of the surprises of the day by beating the 49ers in dramatic fashion. The Niners led 17-13 when Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense took the ball back for a final push. They finally passed 80 yards in 11 plays and the quarterback gave his team the victory on a 13-yard run with only 12 seconds left. On the sequence, Smith completed seven of his eight passes for 54 yards, in addition to rushing for 34 yards. In the West Division, the Seahawks find themselves in a three-way tie at 5-5 with the 49ers and Rams, while the Cardinals (6-4) are just one game ahead.
WINNERS OF THE WEEK
1. Lions
What a steamroller! Fifty-two points against the Jaguars, four touchdown passes from Jared Goff, a defense that gave up only 170 yards. Everything, but absolutely everything, works for the Lions.
2. Bo Nix
There has been a lot of talk since the start of the season about Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is starting to really stand out. In a dominant win over the Falcons, he rushed for 307 yards and four touchdowns. This bodes very well for the Broncos.
3. Matthew Stafford
The Rams brought their record to .500 by beating the Patriots. Their quarterback Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes, including two to Cooper Kupp. The team is still alive.
4. The Dolphins
Some will say that there is nothing glorious about beating the Raiders, but the team finds itself at 4-6 and can still dream of the playoffs, even if the task will be complex. Tua Tagovailoa had a strong game with three touchdown passes and 288 yards.
5. Les Vikings
Quarterback Sam Darnold looked good against the Titans defense, which is nevertheless not very generous with the opposing pivots. He rushed for 246 yards and threw two touchdown passes. This is reassuring after a few difficult matches.
LOSERS OF THE WEEK
1. Doug Pederson
The Jaguars have been demolished by the Lions and as they enter their bye week, head coach Doug Pederson looks more in danger than ever. That already wasn’t flying high, but this is pathetic.
2. The Jets
Once the attack got going, the Jets defense had to continue its descent into hell. We were talking at the start of the season about a unit that would be among the best in the league and it was a total collapse.
3. The Falcons
With two losses in a row, the Falcons find themselves at 6-5. Luckily, their division isn’t very competitive, but still, getting outscored 38-6 in Denver is a huge disappointment.
4. The 49ers
We expected much better from the finalists of the last Super Bowl. Brock Purdy is not having a great season, having been the victim of an eighth interception against the Seahawks.
5. Les Browns
How can the Browns score only 14 points against the Saints despite 395 yards and two touchdown passes from Jameis Winston? How was their defense so dominant last year able to give up 473 yards? Was it really a playoff club last year?
