There was a time when you wondered if this stadium was some sort of curse to its primary resident. A time when a fan left this venue in the middle of a playoff game fearing he might be the curse.
And now?
The Kansas City Chiefs cannot lose here.
Even when backed into the smallest of corners.
And guess what? They get one more game here now.
The Chiefs defeated the Bills 42-36 in overtime on Sunday in one of the best games the venue has seen, earning a spot in the AFC Championship Game for the fourth consecutive year.
All at home.
Yes, the Chiefs will be the first team in NFL history to play three home games in the playoffs — aided by the new postseason format — when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.
And what a ride to get there. Let’s not waste time. Here are five instant observations from the Chiefs’ win against the Bills.
1. THE CHIEFS HAVE THAT GUY
So how much time is too much time to leave Patrick Mahomes?
Apparently 13 seconds.
Mahomes led the game-winning drive in overtime, but only after he led the game-tying drive in regulation after the Bills offered him just 13 seconds to do it.
No problem. He marched them into field-goal territory, giving kicker Harrison Butker a chance to tie it.
And you just knew it was done at the coin toss.
The Chiefs got the ball first and Mahomes led them 75 yards for a touchdown, preventing the Bills from touching the football. He finished 33 of 44 for 378 yards and three touchdowns.
Enjoy it.
There ain’t another one like him this league.
2. A CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
The Chiefs will host the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game in two weeks. A victory would place them in the Super Bowl two weeks later for the third straight year.
More significant football, in other words, awaits.
But not more difficult.
The Bills and the Chiefs have played better than any two teams in the league for several weeks, evident before their matchup Sunday and certainly evident after it.
That doesn’t mean the Chiefs are a lock to win the Super Bowl — far from it — but their most difficult test of these playoffs is now behind them.
The games get easier from here.
3. THE PATRICK MAHOMES ADJUSTMENT
The play called for Mahomes to fake a rollout to his left, then turn and roll back to his right. By the time he executed that part of it, he turned to a pair of Bills pass rushers already in his face.
And yet he managed to flick a touchdown pass to a fairly well-covered Byron Pringle anyway.
On the face of it, it was already a difficult throw.
Even more so when you consider the context.
In their Week 5 meeting, the Bills did not blitz the Chiefs once. Not once. In 54 dropbacks.
And yet Mahomes was prepared for it anyway — a quick release to find Pringle on a drag route, despite having only a split-second to gauge his whereabouts and whether Pringle was even open.
Much will be made of the way Mahomes finished the game. Much should be made of the way Mahomes finished the game. Don’t forget the preparation.
4. MATHIEU OUT
Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu is entering the final days of a three-year contract he signed in March 2019.
The Chiefs caught an unwanted glimpse of life without him.
Mathieu departed the game during the opening drive after teammate Jarran Reed kneed him in the helmet. Mathieu entered the concussion protocol and did not return.
They missed him.
They’ll need him against the Bengals.
On four separate occasions Sunday, the Bills connected on touchdowns deep in the middle of the Chiefs secondary, areas in which Mathieu typically roams.
That includes two go-ahead scores in the fourth quarter, when Gabriel Davis toasted the Chiefs secondary to get wide open in the end zone. Earlier, safety Juan Thornhill got burned by Davis on a 75-yard touchdown to put the Bills back in the game in the third quarter.
Davis scored four touchdowns.
5. THE BILLS PLAYED INTO THE CHIEFS’ HANDS AT THE WORST TIME
The Bills were all-in from the jump.
And then?
They got cautious.
Big mistake.
On the game’s opening drive, the Bills elected to keep the offense on the field for a pair of fourth-down tries — and they converted them both. They let quarterback Josh Allen keep the football on 4th and 2 from the 50-yard line. First down. Later, facing 4th and goal on the same drive, they pitched it to Devin Singletary, who cruised into the end zone.
It was the Bills acknowledging the obvious: You don’t beat Patrick Mahomes with kicks.
And then they backed off at a crucial time. After the Chiefs opened the second half with a field goal, the Bills had 4th and 1 from their own 30-yard line and chose to punt the ball back to Mahomes.
They gained 27 net yards on the punt ... and then the Chiefs scored a touchdown anyway. Mecole Hardman took an end-around 25 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
Think they want that one back?
