In a season defined by one-score victories the Kansas City Chiefs scored their most meaningful victory of the season in beating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game hosted for the 6th time in 7 years at Kansas City’s GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. With the win, the Chief’s 12th one-score win of the season, advance to the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 9th to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The game was as expected a battle of the top Quarterbacks in the League as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes both lived up to the expectations of the game as the played an even game where the Bills took advantage of the first Chiefs turnover since their regular season defeat at Highmark Stadium and the Chiefs created their own opportunities by stopping the Bills on 4th down plays a pair of times.
The first half saw the Chiefs jump to a 21-10 lead late in the second quarter on run by Mahomes seemingly opening a chance to spread the game out of reach as they were to receive the second half kickoff. That wasn’t meant to be as the Bills drove down the field for a Touchdown on a 33 yard pass to Mack Hollins to trim the lead to 21-16 at the Half. In a sign of short-yardage problems to come though they missed on converting the 2-point opportunity,
The Bills came out and dominated the third quarter on long run-dominated line topping it off on a run by James Cook. Then in a move that added the pressure on the Bills they missed a second 2-point conversion to lead by the smallest of margins 22-21. A three and out drive followed for the Chiefs and set up what seemed to be the turning point drive by the Bills.
The Bills started after a Chiefs punt at their own 30 and drove the ball into the 4th quarter in a grinding matter only to set up a pair of 4th and 1 opportunities first at the Chiefs 48 where Allen dove over the line for the first down only to fumble the ball in near disaster but it was averted by his recovery of the ball. The next 4th and 1 came on the Chiefs 41 where this time the Chiefs held and turned the ball over to Mahomes and the offense who this time converted behind receptions to Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith Schuster followed by runs from Kareem Hunt and Mahomes himself to put the score on the board. Then for the first time this year the Chiefs converted on a 2-point conversion to Justin Watson to go up 29-22.
A Bills Touchdown on 4th and Goal to Curtis Samuel and the Extra Point tied the game at 29-29 setting up the late game heroics. What looked like it would be a Touchdown scoring drive by the Chiefs was stalled out on a 3rd and Goal sack by the Bills moving the Chiefs back to the 17 yard line setting up a 35 yard Field Goal for Harrison Butker putting the Chiefs up by the eventual winning margin 32-29.
With a last opportunity to take the lead the Bills responded by gaining only 17 yards on 6 plays as a Cornerback Blitz by Chiefs Trent McDuffie hurried Allen’s 4th and 5 pass that fell incomplete in between the arms of Tight End Dalton Kincaid. Leading the game coming to an end as Samaje Perine’s only catch of the game a 17 yard outlet pass was the dagger for the Bills.
With the win Mahomes now owns a 5-4 margin in games against Allen, including a decisive 4-0 in the Playoffs. The win also places Mahomes alone in Second Place for Playoff wins by a Quarterback with 17, passing Hall of Famer Joe Montana with whom he was tied at 16.