The Chiefs ran out of the late-game magic that had made them look unbeatable.
Josh Allen and the Bills handed the two-time Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season, winning 30-21 on Sunday. With the loss, Kansas City (9-1) now shifts its focus to keeping its spot at the top of the AFC, leading Buffalo (9-2) by just half a game, while also addressing the mistakes that led to the defeat.
“The undefeated thing was cool,” said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “But that’s not our ultimate goal.” Mahomes was talking about Kansas City’s bigger goal of winning three straight Super Bowls.
To reach that goal, the Chiefs have work to do after losing for the first time in 16 games, including playoffs, dating back to last season.
Mahomes couldn’t pull off what would have been his fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. There was no dramatic moment like the blocked field goal that helped the Chiefs beat Denver 16-14 just a week earlier.
Kansas City’s defense also struggled to stop Allen when it counted. The Bills’ quarterback sealed the win with a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 2:17 left.
Mahomes is hopeful that the loss might help the team in the long run.
“I’m hoping that it is a benefit,” Mahomes said. “I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of games. And I think it’s going to spark us to have more urgency, especially in the start of football games, especially with the offense.”
Mahomes had a rough start, throwing an interception on the second play of the game and not completing a pass until the Chiefs’ third possession. He finished 23 of 33 for 196 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
The offense struggled, crossing midfield only three times, going three-and-out three times, punting four times, and finishing with a season-low 259 total yards.
In a battle between two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, Mahomes was outplayed by Allen, who went 27 of 40 for 262 yards, with one passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and one interception.
“That was a guy making a play in the big moment,” Mahomes said about Allen’s game-winning run. “Whenever the play is not there, he does a great job of making plays happen. And that’s what he did on that last play.”
It was the kind of play the Chiefs are used to making themselves. But the Bills did a good job of limiting Kansas City’s playmakers.
Tight end Travis Kelce, who had 254 yards on 32 catches over the previous three games, was held to just two catches for eight yards on four targets. The Chiefs didn’t get much from new receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was added before the trade deadline, or from the return of JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Backup tight end Noah Gray caught two touchdown passes, and Xavier Worthy added a 10-yard touchdown reception.
Coach Andy Reid pointed out that the Chiefs allowed the Bills to convert 9 of 15 third downs, along with Allen’s decisive fourth-down touchdown run. The Bills controlled the ball for 34:03, compared to the Chiefs, who usually lead the NFL in time of possession.
“I think if we get off the field on third down, it’s a totally different game,” Reid said. Reid also looked back to the Chiefs’ loss to the Raiders last December, which led to their third Super Bowl title in four years.
“That’s absolutely what we need this to be,” Reid said. “It needs to be something that we build off of. That’s something that we need. A reality check for us.”
The Chiefs and Bills may meet again in January. While Mahomes fell to 1-4 in regular-season matchups against Allen and the Bills, he is 3-0 against them in the playoffs.
“It’s going to take your best football to beat great football teams. And we didn’t play our best football today,” Mahomes said. “All the respect to them. That’s going to be a good football team that we’ll probably see again.”
