Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills season ended on Sunday night as their banged-up defense gave up too many big plays to Patrick Mahomes in a 27-24 loss at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo is now 0-3 against Mahomes in the playoffs.
Josh Allen drove the Bills into field goal range late in the fourth quarter but kicker Tyler Bass missed the game-tying field - wide right.
Here are some immediate takeaways from the game.
Khalil Shakir has clutch game
Shakir had two plays in the game that led to touchdowns. The first came on the Bills’ second touchdown drive on a 3rd and 5. The pass was low from Allen and the second-year receiver got low and secured the catch. Allen ran it in for a score on the next play. The second came on the Bills’ third touchdown drive with Buffalo facing a daunting 3rd and 8. Allen was flushed from the pocket and forced to run to his left. He had to uncork a pass across his body to Shakir, who was in single coverage against Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Shakir managed to make a sliding catch, getting a knee down for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Bills the lead 24-20.
With Gabe Davis out for the second straight game, Shakir’s big plays helped carry the passing game. Dalton Kincaid had a pair of catches on the Bills’ first drive but didn’t have another target until the 8-minute mark of the fourth quarter. The Bills missed Davis with Trent Sherfield unable to come down with two deep balls, a signature of Davis’s game over the years. Davis had four touchdown receptions against the Chiefs in the divisional playoff game two years ago.
Shakir left the game with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter and returned a few minutes later. He came up with another clutch grab on 4th and 3 with the Bills driving to try and either tie the game or go ahead. Sherfield came up with a big catch a few plays later on 3rd and 5 to extend the drive.
Bills defense allows Travis Kelce to turn back the clock
Buffalo was down multiple starters on defense, including middle linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford -- and it showed. The Chiefs couldn’t be stopped, scoring on five of their first six possessions. The only time they were stopped was when they got the ball back with just 20 seconds left in the first half.
Travis Kelce scored the Chiefs’ first touchdown and there wasn’t a Bills defender anywhere near him as he found a soft spot in their zone and went in untouched. Kelce hadn’t scored two touchdowns in a game all season, until Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Bills bulldoze Chiefs with run game
Buffalo had the ball for almost two-thirds of the first half with a time of possession of 19:07. The Bills averaged 5.6 yards per rush and finished 125 total rushing yards and 235 total yards in the first two quarters. The Miami Dolphins’ high-powered offense managed just 264 total yards in their entire Wild Card game against the Chiefs.
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady continues to increase the role of backup running back Ty Johnson. He ran the ball three times in the first half for 25 yards and had one catch for 14 yards. James Cook had 41 of his 62 rushing yards in the first half and helped lead that effort. He dropped a touchdown on a 2nd and 5 play before Shakir saved the drive with his catch.
The Chiefs adjusted at halftime and gave the Bills fits on the ground in the second half. Buffalo had just 50 yards on the ground in final two quarters.
Allen starts game with a bang
Allen had one of the plays of the game on the first drive. The Bills were backed up in a 3rd and 17 after a Stefon Diggs fumble. Dalton Kincaid had to dive and swat it out of bounds to avoid a turnover and Buffalo was penalized.
On the third-down play, Allen took off to run but faced tacklers after about five yards. He quickly decided to throw it to his left, lateraling it to running back Ty Johnson, who ran close to a first down. Sean McDermott went for it on 4th and 1 from their 40-yard line and Allen went for six yards to extend the Bills drive, which ended with three points to open the scoring.
Allen rushed for two touchdowns in the game.
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