In a game that had all the makings of an instant classic, the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Buffalo Bills, 31-28, in another thrilling AFC Championship showdown at Arrowhead Stadium. The victory marks Kansas City’s fifth AFC Championship in the past six years and sends them to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season.
After the game, head coach Andy Reid praised his team’s resilience during Sunday’s back-and-forth affair.
“This came right down to an inch, literally,” Reid said. “If it was going to be back and forth, whoever had the ball last was probably going to come out in the lead and with the win. So, I’m proud of our guys battling like they battled.”
While the two teams traded blows throughout the afternoon, the turning point in the game came from the Chiefs’ defense, which delivered two game-changing fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter. Buffalo had been perfect on fourth down, converting all four of their previous attempts, but the Chiefs came through when it mattered most.
The first and perhaps most controversial stop came on a crucial fourth-and-inches quarterback sneak by Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen. The Chiefs’ defensive line held firm, and after a review, the officials ruled Allen just short of the first-down marker.
Then, on the Bills’ final possession, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up a perfectly timed blitz, forcing an incomplete pass to give the Chiefs offense back the ball.
“I’m always nervous whenever the football is not in my hand,” admitted quarterback Patrick Mahomes after the game. “But, I have so much trust in that defense. They’ve done it all year. I know that’s a great offense that they’re going up against and Josh (Allen) has made a lot of great plays all night, all season long, but I trust that (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) is going to call the right blitz or call the right coverage and the guys are going to execute the assignment.”
With less than two minutes remaining, the Chiefs’ offense forced the Bills to burn their final two timeouts. Mahomes then iced the game with a clutch third-and-9 completion to running back Samaje Perine for one final first down.
“Coach Reid trusted us,” Mahomes said. “He trusted us a lot tonight, and we were able to go out there and make a play happen.”
Mahomes once again proved why he’s the best quarterback in the league, putting on one last show in front of the Arrowhead crowd for this season. He finished with 245 passing yards, one touchdown through the air, and 43 rushing yards on 11 attempts. He also added two critical rushing touchdowns as his rushing ability acted as the biggest difference maker in the game.
“They always give me options to pull the ball and run it,” Mahomes explained. “They were playing man coverage a lot of the day, and they were just putting a lot of attention on Travis (Kelce). So, with them pushing that safety and pushing their linebackers to Travis, it opened up different lanes for me to run. and I was able to run the football and pull some of those reads that I’ve had all season long.”
The victory marks Mahomes’ 17th postseason win, continuing to cement his legacy as one of the NFL’s greatest postseason performers. As for Reid and the rest of the Chiefs, the final objective remains clear: one more win.
“What a great experience, but we’re not done,” Reid remarked. “We got another game against a real good Philadelphia Eagles team, and we’ve got a lot of preparation to go before we have a chance to play them.“
