Sunday delivered one of the most entertaining days of playoff football in NFL history. After the Rams escaped Tampa Bay with a walkoff field goal after blowing a 27-3 lead to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, the Bills and Chiefs put on an instant classic in Kansas City.
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes both put forth the kind of performances we’ve come to expect from two of the new faces of the NFL, with each delivering thrilling drives in the fourth quarter of what was an all-timer in Arrowhead. The two teams traded blows throughout the game, and Kansas City entered the fourth quarter with a slim two-point advantage. After a pair of rare defensive stops from each team, the Bills punted it away from deep in their own end to Tyreek Hill, who set up a Chiefs field goal to go up five late.
.@Cheetah got another opportunity and delivered. #ChiefsKingdom #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/0PKayA8ddW— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
The Bills then worked clock on their next drive, desperately trying to keep Mahomes from being the one who could put the game on ice, and succeeded in taking seven minutes of the clock before finding themselves with a 4th and 13, having to go for it in KC territory. Gabriel Davis, who already had two touchdown catches on the day, ran the route of his life on 4th and 13 to drop Mike Hughes to the turf and find himself wide open in the end zone, where Allen found him for a go-ahead score.
THE @BUFFALOBILLS HAVE THE LEAD. #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/NrxNk9jSHq— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
Allen then made an unbelievable play on the two-point attempt to extend things until he could find Stefon Diggs in the back of the end zone to push Buffalo’s lead to three.
Josh Allen is SUPERHUMAN. #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/lwB9IZtTXt— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
There was still a lot of time left for the Chiefs, who needed less than a minute to go back on top thanks to the outrageous speed of Tyreek Hill, who caught a crossing route and turned on the jets to, somehow, get by every defender untouched to the end zone.
MAHOMES. TYREEK.
CHIEFS RETAKE THE LEAD. #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/QCPXcRYAT7— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
However, Hill scored too fast, as they left the Bills 64 seconds and three timeouts to find the answer. After an impressive drive to move the ball down the field, Allen found his favorite target on the day once again, as Davis found a pocket in the middle of the field
JOSH ALLEN AND GABRIEL DAVIS' 4TH TD GIVES THE BILLS THE LEAD WITH 17 SECONDS.
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/DgdL4Pwvnd— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
HOWEVER, Davis scored too fast, as the Bills left Kansas City 13 seconds to get in field goal range, and after a chunk play to Tyreek Hill, Mahomes worked the seam to Travis Kelce to get the ball into field goal range, where Harrison Butker (who had two misses on the day) drilled the game-tying field goal.
MAHOMES HAD 13 SECONDS! #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/68g4cJ0sqW
— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
BUTKER. GOOD FROM 49. TIE GAME. #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/BHVNy9Rkek— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
As often happens in the NFL, it was all about the coin toss in overtime, as the Chiefs won the toss, received the ball, and Mahomes proceeded to march them down the field for what felt like an inevitable walkoff TD. Sure enough, it was on a corner route to Kelce that the Chiefs completed one of the craziest comebacks in Playoff history and advanced to the AFC title game against the Bengals.
MAHOMES TO KELCE.
THE @CHIEFS WIN THE GAME OF THE YEAR! #NFLPlayoffs #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/9eM2Ur15O0
— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
It was a thrilling game that will go down as an instant classic, but unfortunately the ending highlighted how the NFL’s overtime rules need to be updated for the playoffs as the coin toss is far too important for games like this — the Chiefs were on the wrong end of this in 2019. Still, the Allen-Mahomes duel lived up to every possible expectation, and hopefully we will get to see them go at it for years to come. Allen finished the game 27-for-37 passing for 329 yards and four touchdowns, with 68 yards rushing on 11 carries. Mahomes, meanwhile, was 33-for-44 for 378 yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding 69 yards on seven carries.