Sunday night’s playoff showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills was, as is tradition, beautiful chaos. And it ended, as is tradition, with Patrick Mahomes standing tall and Josh Allen’s season over.
The result of Kansas City’s first trip to western New York in six matchups was a brutal one for Bills fans. Two straight regular wins over the Chiefs only paved the way for more heartbreak when the games mattered most. Buffalo has made it to the postseason five straight seasons after 19 years without double-digit regular season wins. Kansas City has been their terminus in three of the last four Januaries.
2024’s loss may not have been as devastating as watching a three-point lead evaporate in the final 13 seconds of 2022’s divisional round matchup, but it will haunt the Bills until they finally break through to a Super Bowl win. Buffalo is an estimated $43 million over next year’s estimated salary cap, per Over the Cap. The team has an aging roster and key veterans like Micah Hyde and Leonard Floyd are free agents. It’s going to take a lot to recapture the brilliance of the Bills’ late-season rally to claim the AFC East title.
If Buffalo can’t do it, it will only make Sunday’s divisional round loss feel even worse. There are no fewer than five crushing fourth quarter moments that showcased the Bills’ inability to seize the moment and move one step closer to a Super Bowl.
1
A fake punt that made sense in theory but not execution fails
Calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-five, trailing 27-24 in the fourth quarter and at your own 30-yard line is a bold move. And it may not have been head coach Sean McDermott’s intent. Instead, his special teams unit saw an advantage from a Chiefs lineup that only brought 10 players to the field. This created a distinct eight-on-six advantage in the middle of the field.
Chiefs only had 10 guys on the field for that punt. were down 6 on 8 when it came to blockers in the middle of the field. the fake punt failed anyway pic.twitter.com/z887rDQeq8
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 22, 2024
A direct snap to upback Damar Hamlin, however, never stood a chance. Buffalo’s blocking was sloppy, no running lane materialized and Hamlin was lucky to gain three yards.
The dots for the fake punt. Chiefs did only have ten men. pic.twitter.com/GRygxnZIzC
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 22, 2024
The Chiefs took over in field goal range. But they were unable to extend their lead because…
2
The Chiefs gift Buffalo a fumble out the back of the end zone. The Bills do nothing with it
Isiah Pacheco averaged 6.5 yards per carry Sunday night. But after ripping off a 29-yard gain to set up first-and-goal immediately after Buffalo’s botched fake punt, head coach Andy Reid decided he needed a breather. So in came Mecole Hardman, a player who once looked like a promising young playmaker but now only comes up in discussions regarding shame.
After review, Jordan Poyer knocks it out and it’s ruled a touchback. Huge stop for the Buffalo defense!
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FR6a2VkD33 pic.twitter.com/OZ7E6qUfN8— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2024
Hardman fumbled out of the end zone to erase the Bills’ fake punt gaffe. Buffalo got the ball back, lost two yards on the ensuing three plays, then shanked a 39-yard punt to ensure no one felt good about the fourth quarter of this game.
3
Stefon Diggs can't corral a potential game-changing deep ball
Still, the Bills’ depleted defense held up. They forced a negated three-and-out after a questionable pass interference call gifted Kansas City a fresh set of downs. They held tough from there, giving up a single yard before Tommy Townsend’s punt bounced into the end zone. Buffalo had 8:23 remaining to drive 80 yards for a potential game winning touchdown.
The Bills went for it on first down.
50 yards downfield, ball where only Stefon Diggs can get it and … oof pic.twitter.com/mEhdCAhfWv
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 22, 2024
That ball flew 50 yards in the air to a spot where one of the best wide receivers in the NFL could get it. And he didn’t. Brutal.
Fortunately, this didn’t crush Buffalo’s spirits. Four first downs — including one on fourth-and-three and an extremely lucky fumble recovery that had every Chiefs fan in the world screaming “FALL ON THE BALL” — set up second-and-nine from the Kansas City 26-yard line at the two minute warning.
That’s when Khalil Shakir broke free in what should have been a go-ahead touchdown. But it wasn’t.
4
Chris Jones' pressure did just enough to erase what would have been a game-changing touchdown
Allen has an open Diggs on a shallow crosser here. But he gives it up because he knows an in-breaking Shakir will have leverage and space. The read is correct — but it’s a split second too late because defensive tackle Chris Jones, coming from the edge, has power-rushed perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins into the pocket, leaving Allen no room to step into the throw.
Chris Jones' pressure on the edge just saved a touchdown pic.twitter.com/qxDokRYMMs
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 22, 2024
It falls incomplete. So does the next one. Ah, well. Tyler Bass can still tie the game with a 44-yard field goal. In his career, he’s hit 84 percent of his kicks from 40-49 yards, though that number is down to 67 percent in 2023. Surely that won’t be a problem…
Right?
5
(long exhale) ... Tyler Bass, man
A wise man said it better than I ever could. “Man, why you even got to do a thing?”
"Wide. Right. The two most dreaded words in Buffalo have surfaced again." – Jim Nantz 🏈🎙️ pic.twitter.com/iidtMBVueY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 22, 2024
It’s not just that Bass’s game-tying kick missed — one drive after the Bills’ defense effectively forced two three-and outs on a single set of downs. It’s that it missed the same way Scott Norwood’s 47-yard, Super Bowl-winning kick missed more than 30 years ago. This is a fanbase that knows nothing but heartbreak, and it was rubbed in their faces once more.
One Isiah Pacheco first down later, this game was over. All that was left was the ceremonial throwing of the snowballs.
annnnnd here come the snowballs pic.twitter.com/PC6RZTb1Gq
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 22, 2024
