This game was what the playoffs are supposed to be about. Two elite quarterbacks, two of the best rosters in the league littered with star players and it all came down to the final seconds of the game. When you want to get your friends who don’t watch football into the game, these are types of games you show them. It was brilliant.
More importantly, this game showed that the Chiefs and the Bills are absolutely the top teams in the AFC. No slight to the Titans and Bengals who had a fairly entertaining rock fight in the Divisional Round, but the overall excellence of the Bills and Chiefs was on another level.
This was a matchup of titans. This was the continuation of a budding rivalry between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. This felt like a classic Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady heavyweight matchup.
The Chiefs are moving forward onto the AFC Championship game, but this game was the real test that showed the current power and staying power of the Chiefs and Bills. Mahomes and Allen won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Andy Reid and Sean McDermott are going to mainstays for these organizations for years.
As the Bills move forward, they can learn from this loss, but they should feel a small sense of comfort knowing that they’re going to be one of the giants in the NFL for the next few seasons. The Chiefs are getting an easier game next week than the one they just played — although Joe Burrow and the Bengals are obviously not slouches.
The Chiefs should be the favorite in the AFC Championship game. The Bills should have been the favorite in the AFC Championship game had they won. That’s how well these two teams are playing right now.
Kansas City managed to overcome an early season slump with a barrage of turnovers — 22 in their first 11 games — and found their footing for the final stretch of the season. And when they find their footing, whew, it’s almost like they can score at will.
13 seconds, length of the field to go. No problem for Mahomes and company. They slew the dragon under center for the Bills, surviving one more week while, unfortunately for football fans, sending one of the best shows in the NFL home.
The Bengals better be prepared. This ain’t the Tennessee Titans. This ain’t the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs put the world on notice that they’re back and they run the AFC along with the Bills — but it was their time to shine tonight.
