by Ryan Mercier
In Week 9 of the NFL season, the Jaguars beat the Bills, 9-6. The Chiefs defeated the Packers, 13-7. In the final two minutes of regulation alone on Sunday between Buffalo and Kansas City, these teams combined for more points than either of those full games.
Here are some more stats just for fun. This is a game which featured zero turnovers, four penalties, five 4th down conversions on five tries, and 974 yards of offense combined. Tyreek Hill has never had a postseason game with more receiving yards than Gabriel Davis went for on Sunday (201). How about this one? Patrick Mahomes actually ran for more yards than Josh Allen. It was by a hair, 69 to 68, but still shocking.
Following a KC field goal after a puzzling failed 3rd & 1 play where backup tight end Blake Bell took the snap instead of Mahomes, Buffalo took over with 8:55 left in the 4th quarter. The Bills drove down the field at a steady pace. Allen picked up three 3rd downs in a row. The feeling at Arrowhead was creeping in that Mahomes may not see the ball again. Looking back now, that sentence is laughable.
Buffalo picked up two fourth downs on this same 17-play drive, including one of Gabriel Davis’ four touchdowns on the day. It’s easy to forget now, but Josh Allen also converted the following 2-point attempt in spectacular fashion to go up 29-26. With 1:54 remaining in the game, there were still four scoring drives to come. Three by the Chiefs, one of them in overtime.
Back in the 3rd quarter, Allen hit Davis for a 75-yard TD bomb. Now, with the Chiefs trailing 29-26 and one minute left, Tyreek Hill caught a ball at midfield and did what he does best. Outrun everyone. He did so for his own 64-yard TD to put the Chiefs up 33-29. Josh Allen would not fold, not tonight. He led another 75-yard drive ending in the hands of, yes, Gabriel Davis. Bills 36, Chiefs 33.
There were now :13 seconds left on the clock. How many NFL games across the country have been turned off this season with that much time remaining? How many fans have left the stands to beat the traffic or to not stomach a defeat? Tonight, in Kansas City, 13 seconds was an eternity.
Patrick Mahomes had gone to three straight AFC Championship games, won a Super Bowl, earned an NFL MVP, and a Super Bowl MVP. Did he really have to do this to the Buffalo Bills?
First, the perfect play call. A little easy throw to Hill with the Bills playing off, Chief blockers in front, like a screen pass but five yards down the field. Then, a perfect strike to Travis Kelce in the middle of the field with plenty of yardage for a makeable field goal. Of course, it was good. Of course, the Chiefs took the ball all the way down the field in overtime to crush the hearts of Bills fans once again.
Josh Allen did everything he possibly could. The Buffalo Bills proved they were a Super Bowl contender. This game delivered haymaker after haymaker and capped off an absolutely insane weekend of playoff football. It’s a shame one team had to lose.
Struggling Actor Sports 