Josh Allen seals Bills' 30-21 win
over Chiefs with TD run, ending bid for perfect season
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[November 18, 2024]
By JOHN WAWROW
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — After watching quarterback Josh Allen
bounce off two Kansas City Chiefs defenders before crossing the goal
line on a 26-yard run, Bills receiver Khalil Shakir joined the rest
of the packed Buffalo stadium by screaming at the top of his lungs.
Allen's touchdown on fourth-and-2 with 2:17 left sealed Buffalo’s
30-21 victory, kept the Bills (9-2) in contention for the AFC’s top
seed and spoiled the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs'
bid for a perfect season.
“When Josh takes off, I find myself just watching, like, ‘Wow, he’s
different,’” Shakir said. “When he took off today, I just started
yelling. I couldn’t stop yelling. I was blanking in the head.”
Bills fans chimed in by chanting “MVP! MVP!” while watching the
replay of their quarterback bursting up the middle to secure a
victory in the latest matchup against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs
(9-1), who ended Buffalo’s playoff runs in three of the past four
seasons.
Allen evened his record to 4-4 (including playoffs) against the
Chiefs. He said he knew what was on the line when coach Sean
McDermott elected to go for it on fourth down rather than settle for
a field goal.
“I appreciated coach for trusting us,” said Allen, who took off up
the right hash mark, shrugged off being shouldered by linebacker
Nick Bolton and had enough momentum to reach the end zone while
wrapped up by safety Bryan Cook.
“Any time you give the ball back to Pat (Mahomes), that offense,
down six with the game on the line, I like their odds in that
situation,” Allen added. “So wanting six or seven (points) to try to
make it a two-score game.”
Buffalo’s defense ended Kansas City’s desperate final drive when
linebacker Terrel Bernard intercepted Mahomes.
James Cook rushed for two first-half touchdowns and Allen threw a
12-yard TD pass to Curtis Samuel early in the fourth quarter. The
Bills never relinquished the lead after going ahead 16-14 on Tyler
Bass’ 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
The Chiefs were the NFL’s last undefeated team and finally ran out
ways to eke out one-score victories and overcome second-half
deficits. The Chiefs had won 15 straight, including playoffs, since
they fell 20-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 17, 2023.
“The undefeated thing was cool. But that’s not our ultimate goal. So
we’ll keep building toward that,” Mahomes said.
“That’s a good football team. Nothing to hang your head on losing to
them,” he added. “We feel like we can play better. So we’ll get back
to work and try to use this as a spark so we can be a better
football team in the end.”
There's a chance these teams will meet again in the playoffs, where
the Chiefs have dominated the rivalry. Though Buffalo has won four
straight regular-season meetings dating to 2021, the Chiefs have won
three straight playoff matchups, including a 27-24 win at Buffalo in
the divisional round in January.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) is congratulated by
teammate Dawson Knox (88) after scoring on a 26-yard run during the
second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree
Nikhinson)
“It’s a great game to learn from for some of our
young guys. Two good teams play each other, the margin between
winning and losing is small,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We can
all learn from it and take something out of it to make us better
down the road there. And we’ll do that.”
Mahomes finished 23 of 33 for 196 yards with three touchdown passes
— two to tight end Noah Gray and another to Xavier Worthy — and two
interceptions.
The Chiefs had shown resolve in winning their first nine games by a
combined 58 points, with four decided on the final play. That
included a 16-14 win over Denver last week in which Leo Chenal
blocked Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
This time, there were no late dramatics from a Chiefs offense that
finished with a season-low 259 yards.
The Bills have won six straight and moved closer to their fifth
straight AFC East title. Buffalo is 9-2 or better through 11 games
for the sixth time in team history and first since 1992.
“No statement,” McDermott said of the win’s significance. “This is
not the finish line.”
The Bills have a chance to rest and heal up entering their bye week.
Amari Cooper made two catches for 58 yards while playing with a sore
left wrist, and wide receiver Keon Coleman (right wrist) and tight
end Dalton Kincaid (knee) were sidelined by injuries.
Allen played through a sore throwing hand, which was examined on the
sideline during the game. He finished 27 of 40 for 262 yards with
the TDs passing and rushing and an interception.
The rushing touchdown was the 58th of Allen’s career, moving him
into second on the Bills list, one ahead of O.J. Simpson and seven
behind Thurman Thomas. Allen’s two-touchdown outing also increased
his total to 244, tying Jim Kelly for first in team history.
Up next
Chiefs: At Carolina next Sunday.
Bills: After a bye, host San Francisco on Dec. 1.
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