It's no surprise that the Bills and Chiefs played a high-stakes thriller that was decided when one of their quarterbacks made a spectacular play. But there was still no way, really, to be prepared for Buffalo QB Josh Allen's improv in the most nerve-wracking of spots—up two with just over two minutes to play, facing fourth-and-2 on the KC 26. Fail to the gain the yards (or opt to kick a field goal), and the Bills would be handing the ball over to Patrick Mahomes with the opportunity for a game-winning two-minute drill. Instead, Allen seized the victory for himself by beating every Chiefs defender to the end zone.
Kansas City rushed four against Buffalo's five blockers, but Allen was still able to spot a crease in the defense as he stepped up in the pocket. With two wideouts going to the sticks on the right, and another target at the same distance on his left, there was just enough of an opening in the middle for Allen to acquire the yardage he needed. But he didn't stop there. Accelerating toward the goal line, he made one diving tackler fall helplessly at his heels, shrugged off another who tried to fly at his arm, and powered through safety Bryan Cook as he fell triumphantly into the blue paint. The Bills had their two-score lead, and the defense did their part to make the final line 30-21.
"As soon as I saw him get past the line of scrimmage, I kind of knew he was scoring," Bills tight end Dawson Knox said. "And even though there's a linebacker, two DBs right in front of him, I've seen it a hundred times from him in the most important situations, he seems to do that all the time and it's incredible to watch."
After a string of close shaves, the Chiefs finally suffered their first loss of the season, while the Bills now sit just half a game behind them at 9-2. Slaying the league's last undefeated team is a huge boost for Buffalo, of course, but this team has seen enough to know how much work is left to do. This gives them four straight regular-season wins over Mahomes and K.C., including three in a row they've white-knuckled through the end. Since the 2020 season, however, they've been knocked out of the playoffs all three times that they've crossed the Chiefs, the most recent being Tyler Bass's would-be tying field goal that went wide right in Buffalo last season. Allen's run was breathtaking, and it'll be a long-lasting memory for the (sober-ish) fans who witnessed it. But the real question is: Can he do it again in two months?
