The Bills showed they mean business by defeating the Chiefs in what has become the most exciting rivalry in the NFL. And, surprisingly, they owe good beer to their defensive unit!
• Also read: Bengals should be ashamed
In Buffalo, the Bills won 28-21 in another closely fought contest. Five of the last six clashes between the two teams have actually ended by a touchdown or less. You can never go wrong, Bills vs. Chiefs is always fun and exciting until the last second.
It happened again on that fine Sunday when Patrick Mahomes' final pass was picked off and sealed the Bills' victory.
This was far from the only key play for the Bills on defense, and yet the unit has been in constant question since the start of the season.
There was the first week when the Ravens were given up 40 points despite winning. It was Week 5 when Drake May and the Patriots won with 267 passing yards. It was Week 6 when the Falcons handed the Bills their second straight loss, rushing for 210 yards.
Coming into the very important duel against the Chiefs, the Bills were ranked 31st.e rank vs. ground game. Usually this is clearly not a guarantee of success.
The effort is complete
However, the Chiefs were limited to 79 yards rushing on 20 carries, a respectable average of no more than four yards per carry.
What the Bills defense has done more than solidly do is slow down the pace of Patrick Mahomes, who has been on fire recently.
The Chiefs quarterback completed just 15 of his 34 passes. His success rate (44.1%) is the lowest of his illustrious career. That would end Mahomes' streak of 141 consecutive games, the second-longest in NFL history, in which at least 50% of his passes were completed.
Mahomes never found the end zone and was the victim of an interception by Bills first-round draft pick Maxwell Hairston, who has been sidelined since the start of the season with an injury.
In the second safety class, Cole Bishop had four knockdowns.
The defensive front was phenomenal, with Mahomes scoring 15 times, including three sacks. Veteran defensive end Joey Bosa, who signed as a free agent last March, had his best moments in a long time with one of those sacks and frequently tormented Mahomes.
Other than two long plays given to receiver Hollywood Brown on fourth down and the Chiefs' 17-yard conversion, the Bills defense didn't do anything significant.
Cook dominates
Often in matchups between these two teams, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has to play the role of superhero.
He was again extremely effective, completing 23 successful passes in 26 attempts. His pass completion percentage (88.5%) is a team record. For 47e At one point in his career, Allen finished a game with at least one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown, increasing his own league record. We don't even realize how unique he is anymore, because his exploits have become routine.
If the Bills owe their defense a beer, they also owe their punter James Cook, who is having a great season, a beer. Cook, with 114 yards, became the first player since Zamir White in December 2023 to have more than 100 yards against the Chiefs.
Portrait of the playoffs
The Bills are now 6-2 and remain in contention for first place in Conference USA with the Colts, Patriots and Broncos at 7-2.
For the Chiefs, at 5-4, things get really tough. If the playoffs started today, he wouldn't be there. It's safe to say that they will make it through, but their room for maneuver is very limited, and the home field advantage that they value so much is becoming almost unattainable.
The Bills won their final five regular-season games against the Chiefs. However, we know that it is in the playoffs that things go poorly for them. They have every right to celebrate, but the real work is just beginning.
5 KEY POINTS
1. Matthew Bergeron injured
Photo courtesy of JAY BENDLIN
In addition to losing the game against the Patriots, the Falcons lost an important part of their offensive line when Quebec defenseman Matthew Bergeron went down in the second quarter. Bergeron injured his ankle when opposing punter K'Lavon Chesson made a sack and he and Michael Penix fell to the third-year's feet. However, an encouraging sign was that after being examined in the locker room, he was seen on the sidelines doing some exercises. After the game, he told reporters in attendance that he was confident he could play next week.
2. Record hit
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Who would have thought that the Jaguars and Raiders matchup would be one of the most exciting of the day? The Jaguars ultimately won 30–29 in overtime when the Raiders scored a touchdown, but their two-point attempt to come away with the victory failed. However, the start of the game began much earlier when Jaguars kicker Cam Little kicked a 68-yard field goal, something unheard of in NFL history. This record place ultimately allowed us to score three points, which played a decisive role. It was the seventh field goal of over 60 yards this season.
3. Revenge of the purple ones
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The Vikings lost their last five games to the Lions, and each time the defense allowed at least 30 points. This time, the Mauves limited the Lions to 24 points to win 27-24 and constantly hounded quarterback Jared Goff. Goff was pressured 30 times, according to NextGen Stats. He was the victim of five quarterback sacks. The Lions' fearsome ground game was also limited to 3.3 yards per carry. In one of the surprises of the day, the Vikings (4-4) are in second place in the national conference's North Division against the Lions (5-3).
4. Heart Broncos
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Once again, the Broncos came out strong in the fourth quarter, completing a comeback in style to defeat the Texans 18-15. Sean Payton's men entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight points and eventually won 18-15 on Will Lutz's 34-yard field goal. Against the Giants two weeks ago, they overcame an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit. They trail the Eagles by 14 points in the fourth quarter. So this is their third fourth-quarter comeback from down by a touchdown or more.
5. Colts surprised
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The Colts were atop the NFL with a 7–1 record before traveling to Pittsburgh and being surprised by the Steelers 27–20. The Steelers gained just 225 yards of total offense, but their success can be attributed to the fact that they committed at least six turnovers. Quarterback Daniel Jones, the true Cinderella story of the first half of the season, was the victim of three interceptions in addition to two errors. A real return to Earth! Jones' third interception, by Joey Porter with less than three minutes to play, was particularly offensive.
WINNERS OF THE WEEK
1. Christian McCaffrey
Nothing new under the sun, Christian McCaffrey is still the jack of all trades in the 49ers offense. The carrier upset the Giants with 106 yards on the ground, 67 yards in the air and two touchdowns. He already has 1,222 yards from the line of scrimmage in nine games.
2. Brock Bowers
The Raiders lost, but one player who had nothing to be ashamed of was their tight end Brock Bowers. Since returning from injury, he caught 12 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Quite a player on a sad team!
3. Matthew Stafford
We haven't talked much about the Rams' quarterback this season. He tore through the Saints with four touchdowns, giving him nine in the last two games. Since the start of the season, he has thrown 21 touchdown passes and two interceptions.
4. Rico Dowdle
For the third time in the last five games, the Panthers offense topped the 100-yard mark, finishing with 130 yards and two touchdowns for his team against the Packers.
5. Drake London
The Falcons lost, but receiver Drake London made a number of impossible catches against the Patriots. He finished with nine receptions for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
RECENTS OF THE WEEK
1. Bengals
What a disappointing performance by the Bengals defense in their 47-42 loss to the Bears! According to the Associated Press, no team since the 1966 Giants has lost two games in a row by more than 38 points each time.
2. Travon Walker
The Jaguars defensive end was ejected from a game against the Raiders when he had the bright idea to punch blocker Stone Forsythe in the face. The face, by the way, is covered with a protective mask. This is so stupid…
3. C.J. Stroud
The Texans quarterback had to go early in the game against the Broncos when Chris Abrams-Drain hit him hard as he slid along the ground while running. Everything indicates that he suffered a concussion.
4. Packers
The Packers seemed to be emerging as one of the best teams in the league as of late, and suddenly they came out with no hope of going into the game against the Panthers. They lost to the Browns and Panthers this fall. Two losses that will hurt the rankings in the playoffs.
5. Parker Romo
What caused the Falcons' 24-23 loss to the Patriots? Parker Romo's failed conversion attempt after a touchdown that should have tied the game.
