Chiefs fend off Bills, advance to sixth straight AFC title game

 

[January 22, 2024]  Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth consecutive season with a 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Orchard Park, N.Y.

Isiah Pacheco rushed for 97 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 15 carries for third-seeded Kansas City. Mahomes completed 17 of 23 passes for 215 yards in his first career road postseason game and Kelce had five receptions for 75 yards for the Chiefs.

"We did hear it all week about playing a road game," Mahomes said, "and we were here to prove a point and show we can play anywhere."

Kansas City will visit the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens next Sunday for a Super Bowl berth.

Buffalo had a chance to tie the score but Tyler Bass was way wide right on a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 1:43 remaining. Pacheco then rushed for a first down on Kansas City's second play as the Chiefs ran out the clock.

"All-time classic," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. "If we don't play them again, I'm good with that. ... Our guys kept our composure through the highs and lows of the game."

Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one for Buffalo. Allen completed 26 of 39 passes for 186 yards and rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and Khalil Shakir caught a touchdown pass for the second-seeded Bills.

Buffalo had a 16-play, 54-yard drive stall at the Kansas City 26-yard line before Bass' wide-right boot brought back memories of Scott Norwood's 47-yard miss in the loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV nearly 33 years ago.

"You win as a team, you lose as a team," Allen said. "One play doesn't define a game, a season. We've got to be there for (Bass) because if we execute a couple of plays prior, we're probably singing a different tune right now."

Mahomes and Kelce set a record for combining on 16 postseason touchdown passes. The former New England Patriots duo of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski held the old mark of 15.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) drops back to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half for the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo possessed the ball for 37:03 and ran 78 plays to Kansas City's 47.

The three touchdown drives of the second half were all 75 yards long.

Kansas City took a 20-17 lead on Mahomes' 3-yard scoring pass to Kelce with 11:48 left in the third.

Allen connected with Shakir on a 13-yard throw to give Buffalo a four-point lead with 3:23 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs regained the lead at 27-24 on Pacheco's 4-yard run 40 seconds into the final quarter.

Allen's 2-yard scoring run with 26 seconds left in the first half gave the Bills a 17-13 lead at the break. Buffalo had a 41-21 edge in offensive plays and a 235-167 advantage in total offense.

The teams traded field goals in the first quarter, beginning with Bass' 27-yarder for the Bills and followed by Harrison Butker's 47-yarder for the Chiefs.

Allen scored on a 5-yard run to give Buffalo a 10-3 lead with 13:32 left in the first half. Butker kicked a 29-yard field goal to bring Kansas City within four with 9:12 remaining.

The Chiefs took a 13-10 lead when Mahomes tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kelce with 3:33 to go.

--Field Level Media

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.