Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass missed the game-tying kick late in the fourth quarter, giving the Kansas City Chiefs a 27-24 victory on the road.
The Chiefs are appearing in the AFC Championship Game for the sixth consecutive season, this time next week when they will face the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
Josh Allen led the Bills, leading the field to the point where he could kill time and score a touchdown to take the lead for good. However, the Chiefs defense came up clutch on third-and-9, forcing Bass to run up the field and make an incomplete play attempting a 44-yard field goal.
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The #Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after scoring a 22-yard touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on January 21, 2024. 87 Travis Kelsey. (Albero/Getty Images)
When the kick went up, it hit the right goal post, but it quickly turned to the right and missed the goal. Bills fans at home couldn't believe it when the Chiefs ran out the clock.
The third chapter of the Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes postseason parlay featured another great quarterback play and, dare I say it, another classic battle. But Allen didn't want this game to be a classic one where Mahomes ends up on top, though he's now 0-3 in the playoffs with him.
The game started with field goal drives by both teams, but it was Allen and James Cook who established Buffalo's run game in the next game. Down 2-3 from the Kansas City 5-yard line, Allen ran into the end zone and scored the first touchdown of the game.
The Chiefs answered with a field goal on the ensuing drive, but after the Bills got a punt, Mahomes had a chance to take his first lead of the game on the road.
He needed just five plays to do so and was a better player than star tight end Travis Kelce, who scored his first touchdown since Week 11 of the regular season with a wide-open 22-yard score down the left sideline. There wasn't.
But Allen and Kelce weren't done impacting their teams in this game, as they would each score their second touchdowns the next time they reached the end zone.
First, before the end of the first half, Allen broke through a tackler and scored from two yards left, making the game 17-13.
Josh No. 17 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during an AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on January 21, 2024. Allen. (Albero/Getty Images)
Kelce was then brought on again to start the second half, but it wasn't easy. He caught a screen from Mahomes and used the block to run 3 yards and cross the goal line.
There were five total touchdowns, including a kneel to end the first half, during which the lead changed hands multiple times in a game that had everyone in the stands and at home watching on the edge of their seats.
After Kelce entered for the second time, the Bills needed 15 plays to gain 75 yards with 8 minutes, 25 seconds remaining and regained the lead thanks to a seeding from Allen to Khalil Shakir. Ta. The speedy wideout, who has been a kind of safety blanket for Allen in the passing game, made an incredible catch near the left front pylon while keeping his feet inbounds for the score.
Now that it was 24-20, everyone felt Mahomes was going to fight back with a touchdown of his own. He did just that, orchestrating a drive that ended with Isaiah Pacheco again entering the end zone this postseason.
Both offenses played so well that the defense knew one stop could be the deciding factor in the game. The Chiefs took the lead on downs after the Bills attempted a fake punt with Damar Hamlin on fourth-and-5 at their own 30-yard line.
The Chiefs entered red zone territory on a reception by Laci Rice, but momentum shifted back to the Bills on the next play.
Mecole Hardman made a run down the left side and stretched the ball across the goal line, looking to give the Chiefs an even bigger lead. But Buffalo safety Jordan Poyer, a reliable captain on defense, took the ball out of his hands before he could get it.
Kansas City Chiefs No. 15 Patrick Mahomes attempts a pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on January 21, 2024. It seems so. (Albero/Getty Images)
The fumble ended up going out of bounds in the end zone, leading to the controversial “touchback on change of ball'' rule being called.
Nothing came of this drive, but the Bills were able to punt the Chiefs, giving them at least a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Of course, Bass ultimately gets the blame here, but Allen will be the first to say he needs to build on that momentum to cross the finish line one more time to ensure Buffalo's victory.
Instead, Bills fans will have to deal with another “wide right” game, the 1991 Super Bowl that will be remembered for Scott Norwood's 47-yard miss, as the Chiefs return to action.
Looking at the stat sheet, Allen scored two rushing touchdowns and gained a team-high 72 yards on 12 carries. Cook also gained 61 yards on 18 carries.
In the passing game, Allen was just 26-of-39 for 186 yards and a touchdown to Shaquille, who had seven receptions for 44 yards (a team-high). Tight end Dalton Kincaid was the Bills' top receiver with five catches for 45 yards, but Stefon Diggs had a lackluster game with three catches for 21 yards on eight targets.
Buffalo Bills after making a 27-yard field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter of an AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 21, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. No. 2 Tyler Bass watches the kick. (Albero/Getty Images)
On the Bills' final drive, there was a play in which Allen fired a deep ball to Diggs, who saw the ball go through his arm. That would have put the Bills in the Chiefs' position nicely.
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Speaking of the Chiefs, Mahomes was 17-of-23 for 215 yards, including two touchdowns, against Kelce, who had five catches for a game-high 75 yards. And Pacheco really set the tone for the game with 97 yards rushing on 15 carries.
