On Sunday Night Football’s pregame broadcast, Chris Simms of NBC stated, “Finally, there’s a supporting cast for Josh Allen here in Buffalo,” just after the Buffalo Bills completed their historic 2024 victory. They differ from one another because of this. Buffalo is more resilient there this year.
Okay, so maybe Simms was engrossed in the moment and had recency bias running through his mind because Allen had some excellent backups in Buffalo, particularly during the four seasons when Stefon Diggs was catching a lot of his throws.
Yes, Allen played a major role in the team’s exciting 30–21 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs, who were no longer unbeaten, at the raucous Highmark Stadium, but in the game’s
With 2:27 left in the game, Allen made the play of the night as the Bills attempted to convert a crucial fourth-and-2 at the Kansas City 26. Patrick Mahomes would have had the opportunity to do what he has done more times than a calculator can count: lead the Chiefs on another heartbreaking, game-winning drive with just a field goal needed to win it if the Bills hadn’t made it.
Allen, however, would have none of it. When he saw that the Chiefs had it covered, he dropped back to pass and pretended to glance at Ty Johnson on the left. Then, he looked right and noticed that Amari Cooper and Khalil Shakir were both covered in the same spot.
Problem, huh? Are you serious?
Before smashing into the end zone for the game-winning score, Allen tucked the ball, found a crease through the line and went by everyone once he entered the secondary. Four Chiefs appeared to have opportunities to tackle him.
Since I was a Bill, I’ve said this before: “I find myself sometimes just watching, like, ‘Wow, he’s different,’ when Josh takes off,” Shakir remarked. “Then, while I’m thinking about that, let me simply go see the play.
Today, I just started screaming when he left. I was yelling uncontrollably. I was kind of blacked out, becoming blank in my mind. He’s a dog, man. He is a wonderful man and an excellent leader. I adore the man.
It’s one of those Allen-style plays that only he and a select few other NFL quarterbacks can execute, and it will be replayed forever.
Allen was aware of the circumstances. In addition to getting the first down, he had to score the touchdown since a five-point lead certainly wouldn’t have been sufficient if the Bills had finally stopped and kicked.
Indeed, Allen acknowledged, “I’ll tell you what, they like their odds in that situation anytime you give the ball back to Pat, that offence, with the game on the line.” “Thank you, coach, for putting your trust in us. There was a crease, but the feet were trusted to initiate and sustain the play.
The fact that Allen kept surviving in spite of so many third-and-longs was perhaps the most remarkable feature of this victory. Due primarily to the Bills’ inability to gain ground, this was not a terrific day on first and second down. However, Allen persevered and managed to secure 13 of the Bills’ 24 first downs through the air.
As Allen defeated a blitz, he ended 27 of 40 for 262 yards and one touchdown on a stunning catch and run by Curtis Samuel. At the Chiefs 34, he also made a terrible interception on a fourth-and-three play that should never have occurred because the Bills ought to have tried a field goal there instead.
Although Amari Cooper’s return was beneficial—he had two catches for 55 yards, both of which resulted in touchdowns for the Bills—he was totally outplayed by standout Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie for the remaining two and a half quarters. Shakir had eight catches for 70 yards, and he just keeps making the big plays at the most crucial times. Samuel’s touchdown was one of several big plays in his breakout game. Dawson Knox also had four for 40 while filling in for Dalton Kincaid.
RUN OFFENSE: C
Allen preserved this grade because it would have been significantly lower if he hadn’t rushed to the end zone and gained 55 yards on 12 tries. Buffalo’s run game difficulties weren’t shocking given the Chiefs’ defence is the best in the league when it comes to stopping the run.
James Cook finished with just 20 yards on nine rushes because there was nowhere to go, despite scoring two touchdowns, including one on an incredible play where he smashed through contact close to the goal line to reach the end zone.
Yes, RT was missed by the Bills. The Bills struggled to create space across the line, although Spencer Brown and Ryan Van Demark were occasionally overmatched. Ray Davis and Ty Johnson, the other backs, combined for just 29 yards on eight carries.
 PASS DEFENSE: A
With Mahomes finishing 23 of 33 for 196 yards, the Bills did a good job of limiting his effectiveness overall. Taylor Rapp’s first pass of the game and Terrel Bernard’s final pass both resulted in interceptions. But he also threw three touchdown passes, one to Xavier Worthy and two to Noah Grey. Von Miller and Bernard both fired him from the Bills.
Worthy was never heard from again after catching all four of his passes for 61 yards on the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive. DeAndre Hopkins only managed three catches for 29 yards against Christian Benford. Instead of being set up in Bills territory, the Chiefs ended up punting after Benford made a fantastic play to dislodge the ball on a deep pass to Hopkins in the third quarter.
Best of all, Travis Kelce was unable to locate the gaps he typically finds and was limited with two catches for eight yards as the Bills performed well in their varied zone coverages.
RUN DEFENSE: B
On the fourth-quarter touchdown drive that brought the Chiefs within 23-21, Kareem Hunt gained 17 of his final 60 yards on 14 carries. However, he never really took off, and the Chiefs, like the Bills, were frequently in difficult down and distance circumstances. The fact that Mahomes was the only one of the Chiefs’ 18 additional rushing yards indicates how effectively the Bills kept him in the pocket.
Taron Johnson and Rapp each recorded six tackles, but Bernard led the Bills with eight. The Bills’ defensive line’s middle didn’t appear on the stat sheet, but they managed to hold the offensive line against the Chiefs’ excellent inner threesome.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Tyler Bass simply isn’t able to provide Bills supporters genuine assurance. He pushed an extra point wide right after a pair of really good games, which was his fourth miss of the season. For a while, it seemed like that one point would have hung over the field, and it might have happened if Allen hadn’t scored the game-winning touchdown. Other than that, he hit all five of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, made his other three PATs, and made a 33-yard field goal.
The Bills wasted their second-quarter drive start when Allen threw his pick, but Brandon Codrington had 56 yards on four punt returns, including a huge 25-yarder. His only return on a kickoff was 23 yards.
With two fairs caught within the 20 and one returned by the dangerous Mecole Hardman within eight yards, punter Sam Martin averaged 39.3 net on three wagers.
COACHING: B
Again, give Sean McDermott credit for defeating Andy Reid, his mentor. The Bills have beaten the Chiefs in the regular season for the fourth consecutive year, and no other NFL team has ever done it to Reid. Yes, if they meet again in January, that will be the big test, but for now, enjoy the profits.
Early in the game, McDermott had a terrible challenge, but it was just in the first half and had little bearing. However, he also made several wise choices, none more significant than the last touchdown drive when he knew a field goal would not be enough and went for it.
Because it resulted in so many difficult third downs, Joe Brady’s insistence on running on early downs became troublesome. For instance, the run call to Ty Johnson just prior to the Allen touchdown was completely illogical. Nevertheless, he faced the excellent defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo of the Chiefs, and the Bills scored 30 points, the first time the Chiefs had given up 30 since defeating the Eagles in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2022 season.
On defence, Bobby Babich used a pass rush package to hold Mahomes in check and a few well-timed blitzes to add some variation.
