The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs put on instant classic after instant classic.
A back and forth slugfest between the AFC’s best teams unfolded at Arrowhead Stadium. Much like their last affair, Buffalo scored late to take the lead and gave the Chiefs the ball back. This time, however, Buffalo had the answer for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense.
The answer went by the name of Von Miller.
The pass-rusher signed to help the Bills get over the hump did just that by getting pressure on Patrick Mahomes forcing him to hold the ball a second or two longer than he had hoped. Matt Milano added some extra pressure forcing Mahomes to throw the ball in the direction of rookie Skyy Moore.
Buffalo’s nickel cornerback, Taron Johnson, took to the sky and jumped the route to record an interception.
Ball game.
Bills 24-Chiefs 20.
This is the second consecutive season that the Bills have defeated Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in the regular season. They may have to do it again this postseason, but tonight’s victory currently puts them in the driver’s seat to host teams in the playoffs.
Following their fifth win of the season, here is how the Bills graded out.
QUARTERBACK: A+
Josh Allen did little wrong on Sunday.
He went through one patch of incomplete passes as the Chiefs put heat on him early in the game, but he eventually found his groove and had answers to whatever Steve Spagnuolo threw his way.
Allen would go on to complete 27-of-40 passes for 329 yards while throwing three touchdown passes. He added 32 yards on the ground including a few big QB sneaks to move the chains and one run where he juked a defender, leapfrogged another Chiefs player and stayed on his feet for additional yards.
And in the biggest moment of the game, Allen looked like the best QB in the league. He threw Dawson Knox open and delivered a perfect pass to put the team up with a little over one minute remaining.
Allen is the NFL’s MVP to date.
RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK: A-
Devin Singletary was running all over the Chiefs early, but Buffalo decided to go away from him at times where they likely should have given him the ball. Yards were harder to come by in the second half, but Singletary was terrific overall. He finished with 82 yards rushing on 17 carries (5.0 YPC) and added 22 yards receiving.
James Cook did not have as big of a role. He had two runs for eight yards.
Fullback Reggie Gilliam also deserves a shoutout for some terrific blocks and three receptions for 18 yards.
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END: A
Isaiah McKenzie was the weak link for the wide receiver/tight end unit on Sunday.
Buffalo got a bit too cute on their opening drive and attempted a backwards pitch to McKenzie. The receiver wasn’t ready for the ball and it bounced away from him for a turnover.
Later in the first half, Allen delivered a pass to McKenzie in the end zone on a 4th down play. The ball was put where it needed to be, but McKenzie did not play the ball correctly. Two plays potentially took 14 points away from the Bills on Sunday. He didn’t do himself any favors late in the first half when he let a pass bounce off of his hands with the team buried deep in their own territory. He finished with two receptions for nine yards.
Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis both had success against the Chiefs’ secondary. Each receiver found the end zone on plays against rookie Joshua Williams. Davis finished with three receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown. Davis’ ridiculous YPC average contines with the team’s No. 2 receiver finishing with 25.3 yards per catch.
Diggs has not had much success against the Chiefs as of late as the team tries to take him out of the game plan. That didn’t work on Sunday and Diggs continued his terrific season with another 100 yard outing. He posted a 10-148-1 stat line in the win and is on pace to have his best season to date in the league.
Dawson Knox had a few big catches in the win. The biggest, of course, was his game-winning touchdown reception with just over one minute remaining. Knox added a 20-yard reception as well and finished with 37 yards and one score on three catches.
Buffalo also received contributions from Khalil Shakir (1-14) and Tommy Sweeney (1-7).
OFFENSIVE LINE: B+
The Chiefs sent a lot of heat at Josh Allen early and the offensive line struggled to adjust initially. The unit did eventually find their groove despite losing Spencer Brown in-game. Josh Allen was sacked just once in the win and took four QB hits.
Buffalo’s offensive line was terrific with run blocking as well. The unit helped Buffalo rush for 125 yards on 31 carries (4.0 YPC). It was another positive effort from the offensive line.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A+
The Bills backed up the Brinks truck for Von Miller to be a difference maker in big games.
He’s been worth every penny.
Against the Chiefs, Miller logged two sacks and finished with four total tackles. One that will be overlooked is when he came back and tackled a scrambling Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes gained a few yards on the play, but would have likely moved the chains if it weren’t for Miller. The pass rusher also pressured Mahomes on his final throw, an interception to Taron Johnson. It was an outstanding game for Miller.
In addition to Miller, Shaq Lawson also recorded a sack on Mahomes. A.J. Epenesa pressured the QB a few times in the win and the defensive line as a whole recorded seven QB hits on Mahomes.
Buffalo’s run defense continues to shine. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was held to just 33 yards on nine carries. Overall, the Chiefs finished with just 68 yards on the ground on 18 carries.
LINEBACKER: B
Matt Milano had a few big open field tackles and was closing in on Mahomes when he threw the interception to Taron Johnson. He finished three tackles (1 TFL) and two QB hits.
Tremaine Edmunds had 10 tackles in the win as well. This unit was solid, as usual.
SECONDARY: C+
Taron Johnson played the role of hero in the game with an interception that sealed things. He had a tough matchup and finished with six total tackles and one pass defensed.
Kaiir Elam also made a huge play in the win recording an interception in the end zone to keep the Chiefs off the board on their opening drive. He has recorded an interception in the past two weeks.
Two big plays certainly helped Buffalo win this game, but the secondary also had some struggles with sloppy play. JuJu Smith-Schuster, for instance, had two big gainers in the game and the unit had no answer for Travis Kelce.
There were also plenty of penalties by the unit for defensive holding. It wasn’t their best effort, but they helped hold the Chiefs to just 20 points.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Tyler Bass made his lone FG attempt and nailed all three of his extra point attempts. Sam Martin was not the best punter on the field on Sunday, but he still averaged 54 yards per punt on his two attempts.
Isaiah McKenzie added a kick return of 26 yards and Khalil Shakir continued to do a good job of fielding punts.
Buffalo’s coverage unit was solid as usual.
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