Did Josh Allen, Bills create a blueprint to beat Chiefs others can replicate?
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen have seen it far too many times. They've seen it on film. And unfortunately, they've seen it in person.
When Patrick Mahomes has a chance to win the game, he wins the game.
That's what makes him special.
So the Bills had that in mind when they made a tough choice late in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-2 with Buffalo leading 23-21 over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Door 1: Kick a field goal and keep it a one-score game.
Door 2: Take the bigger risk and go for it in hopes of building a two-possession lead.
They picked Door 2.
In other words, they refused to let Mahomes take control.
"Anytime you give the ball back to Pat and that offense down six with the game on the line, they like their odds in that situation," Allen said after the game. "So we wanted to get six or seven [points] to make it a two-score game."
"They're just way too good to not go for it right there," McDermott said of the Chiefs.
With 2:27 left on the clock, Allen dropped back but didn't like the way the coverage shifted (from a pre-snap zone look to a post-snap man defense), a deception engineered by the most brilliant defensive mind in football: Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs had already intercepted Allen on fourth down earlier in the game. And Bills receivers Khalil Shakir and Amari Cooper were not open. So Allen took off running.
On the sideline, Buffalo corner Rasul Douglas was sitting on the bench, because he's superstitious and thinks that standing will prevent his team from converting fourth downs. But as Allen took off downfield, Douglas was on his feet.
"As the play got going, I was like an airplane because I was just elevating," Douglas said.
Meanwhile, Allen was juking and bulldozing defenders. Roughly five defenders had the chance to put a hand on Allen. None got him down. Not until the end zone. He scored a touchdown on a 26-yard run. It would be the final score: 30-21. Bills win.
"This is a testament to [Buffalo's] intestinal fortitude," CBS analyst Tony Romo said on the broadcast.
Of course, the Bills have done this before. Allen is 4-1 in the regular season against Mahomes & Co. But Allen is 1-3 against Mahomes & Co. in the postseason. So it made sense that Mahomes told Allen in their postgame handshake: "We'll do it again, baby."
It's one part promise and one part compliment. But it's also one part threat.
"We'll do it again, baby."
Before we dive into that hypothetical but looming postseason matchup, however, let's give the Bills their flowers.
To this point in the regular season, no one had beaten the Chiefs. Allen and McDermott showed everyone how it's done. So that's the good news for the NFL. You can beat the 2024 Chiefs. But then there's the bad news. Allen might be one of the few guys who can do it. Maybe the only guy. Lamar Jackson? Joe Burrow? They've already tried and failed. So I'm not sure the Bills set a blueprint for everyone to follow.
A lot of teams have kept the score close with the Chiefs this year. Seven of their nine wins have been single-possession games. Basically, just about everyone has played the Chiefs closely. The Bills, however, are the first to beat them.
What made the Bills different? Aggressive decision-making and elite, all-out execution.
No problem, right?
Their success really centered around Allen. He managed a 50% success rate on his 12 carries for 55 yards and the touchdown. And then he also remained patient in the passing game, chipping away at Spagnuolo's stingy defense. The Bills QB was 27-of-40 for 262 yards with one passing TD and an interception. Only Burrow and Jackson have thrown for more yards against this defense this year. But also — that was the game plan. Buffalo didn't necessarily want Allen to throw for 300 or 400 yards.
The Bills fought hard for time of possession, even when their run game was completely inefficient. They seemed willing to get into third-and-long — largely because Allen could convert it regularly (which most QBs can't do) — to ensure they bled the clock with long drives and kept the ball away from Mahomes.
When Mahomes did have the ball, the Bills managed to get four QB hits and two sacks, which contributed to his first-drive interception. But more than anything, the Bills took away tight end Travis Kelce, who had two catches for eight yards, and receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who finished with three catches for 29 yards. (Also no problem, right?) The Bills seemed intent upon seeing if Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy and tight end Noah Gray could win the game for Kansas City. And while they actually did seem capable in the first half, they disappeared in the second half.
The Bills played to win — rather than playing not to lose.
After the game, McDermott said it was "not a statement" win. He said he's already onto the Bills' bye and their next game. But in the locker room, it wasn't so cut-and-dried.
"The speech from Coach McDermott was like, 'It's just another game,'" said Von Miller, who finished with a sack. "We were like f--- that. This is a big game. This is why we're here. When the bright lights come on, we rise to the occasion. We don't need to sugarcoat it. We don't need to take the pressure off it. It was a special moment."
It was. But it's in the past.
And that comment from Mahomes looms large: "We'll do it again."
Mahomes is already looking ahead to the next round with Buffalo. He's ready.
Are the Bills?
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.