The Kansas City Chiefs are unstoppable in the NFL and have reached the Super Bowl again thanks to a 32:29 win over the Buffalo Bills. Once again there were a few controversial referee decisions in favor of Kansas City, but the guests ultimately made too many mistakes.
Bills @ Chiefs: At a glance
- The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the third time in a row and still have the chance for the first three-peat in NFL history.
- Patrick Mahomes scored three total touchdowns in the game, surpassing another superstar, even if he snapped a Chiefs series.
- Once again we will have to talk about one or two controversial referee decisions in favor of Kansas City that directly influenced the course of the game.
Bills @ Chiefs: The Analysis
The game started almost disastrously for the Bills, as Josh Allen narrowly missed an interception twice. At the end there was then only a punt from the guests. In return, the Chiefs marched almost unchecked down the field and Kareem Hunt ran for a 12-yard touchdown for the quick lead.
In return, the Bills settled for a 53-yard field goal from Tyler Bass, while it was announced that cornerback Christian Benford, like the previous week, suffered a concussion and was out. And while that had an impact on the rest of the first half, it wasn’t a factor at the end of that drive, as Patrick Mahomes lost a fumble near the red zone on a fake handoff to Isiah Pacheco. The Bills picked up that assist, Josh Allen completed a pass to Khalil Shakir at 3rd & 13 and shortly thereafter James Cook ran for a 6-yard touchdown.
As a result, Mahomes bootlegged a 4th&1 and finally found Xavier Worthy for an 11-yard touchdown pass, which the latter converted with a dive. After a stop by the Chiefs defense aided by a drop and two weak passes from Allen, Nikko Remigio carried the punt return over 41 yards, setting up the next good drive. KC quickly found itself back in the red zone because Worthy questionably caught a pass from Mahomes for 26 yards. Questionable because upon closer inspection it was either an interception by Cole Bishop or an incompletion because the ball was moving on the ground. Neither was taken into account by head coach Sean McDermott’s challenge, which is why the Chiefs had an easy time at the 4 – Mahomes via bootleg.
However, the Bills came close again in the final two minutes before halftime as Allen found Mack Hollins for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The subsequent two-point conversion failed. Halftime score: 21:16 Chiefs.
4th down is the Bills’ undoing
After the break, the guests managed to stop and marched into the red zone once again. It took a 4th & goal including a pitch to Cook from the 1 to make it into the end zone. But it worked and Buffalo led 22:21 after another weak two-point conversion.
The Bills made the next stop and reached the opponent’s half again, but there they were stopped on 4th & Down despite quite clear TV images. The Chiefs then marched and Mahomes finally ran for a 10-yard touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion for the 29:22 lead with 10 minutes left to play.
The Bills didn’t give up after that and quickly regained momentum, especially through the run game. Ultimately, they were once again deep in the red zone at the 4, where Allen found Curtis Samuel at the end of the end zone on 4th down – the equalizer again with 6:15 minutes to play. The key was an orbital motion from Shakir, pulling safety Bryan Cook out of the middle and giving Samuel free rein.
What followed was another good drive by the Chiefs into the red zone. But on 1st down it went backwards through a sack by Jordan Phillips, which ultimately led to a 35-yard field goal by Harrison Butker. The Chiefs were ahead 32:29, but the visitors still had 3:33 minutes on the clock and all three timeouts. But after just one 1st down, the Bills’ journey was over. They were forced into an incompletion on 4th down thanks to a cornerback blitz – in fact, Dalton Kincaid dropped the ball – and the Chiefs completed their third straight Super Bowl trip.
In Super Bowl LIX they will face the Philadelphia Eagles as they did after the 2022 season.
Buffalo Bills (13-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
Result: 29:32 (3:7, 13:14, 6:0, 7:11) BOXSCORE
Bills @ Chiefs: Key stats
- Mahomes’ fumble was the Chiefs’ first turnover since Week 11 (@Bills), ending their record streak of eight straight games without a turnover.
- The Chiefs scored 21 points before halftime. This was the first time this season that the Chiefs scored 21 points in a first half.
- Cook has now scored 19 rushing touchdowns this season, setting a new franchise record. He beat Allen’s record (18).
- Mahomes has now scored 50 total touchdowns in the playoffs, passing Aaron Rodgers (49). Only Tom Brady (95) has more in his account.
The star of the game: Patrick Mahomes (quarterback, Chiefs)
Mahomes wasn’t spectacular again and even committed a turnover, but ultimately he took what he was given. This resulted in three total touchdowns and no other errors. Good enough for KC’s third Super Bowl in a row.
The flop of the game: Offensive Line (Bills)
The Bills failed several times with QB sneaks, which was also due to the play-calling because they always tried the same play over the left guard, but overall the line didn’t really manage to clear the way. The Chiefs also allowed too many free rushers, which of course was partly due to Allen himself.
Analysis: Bills @ Chiefs – that stood out tactically
- After the Bills lost cornerback Benford, they still mostly played with a single-high safety, so the coverage consisted of a lot of one-on-one matchups. During this phase they mainly tried to stop the run, but were then extremely vulnerable in the passing game. Just before the break, Mahomes repeatedly tested backup Kaiir Elam, who was repeatedly beaten, especially in off-coverage.
- Meanwhile, the Bills were mostly very wild and undisciplined on the front line. They often lost containment, which Mahomes then used to scramble against man coverage.
- On the other hand, the Chiefs blitzed as usual, especially on 3rd down, and often created free rushers that Allen couldn’t always handle.