ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In a thrilling showdown on Sunday, Josh Allen executed a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down with just 2:17 remaining, solidifying the Buffalo Bills’ 30-21 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs and dealing the reigning Super Bowl champions their initial loss of the season.
James Cook contributed significantly with two rushing touchdowns, while Allen connected on a 12-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel. This victory improves the Buffalo Bills’ record to 9-2, tightening their grip on the chase for the top seed in the AFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs drop to 9-1.
The Chiefs, who started the season as the NFL’s lone undefeated team, struggled this time after a long run where they had successfully secured narrow wins despite facing second-half deficits. Kansas City’s impressive 15-game winning streak, which included playoffs, came to an end; their last defeat had been against the Las Vegas Raiders on December 17, 2023.
With this win, Buffalo has now marked up six consecutive victories, positioning themselves closer to claiming their sixth straight AFC East title.
The Bills have now outperformed the Chiefs in four successive regular-season encounters; however, Kansas City has held the postseason advantage, winning the last three meetings since 2020. Given the competitive nature of both teams, a potential playoff rematch in January seems likely.
The atmosphere in the packed stadium was electric as fans erupted into chants of “MVP!” following replays of Allen’s decisive touchdown. Head coach Sean McDermott chose to go for it on fourth-and-2 instead of opting for a field goal that would have extended the lead to five points. Allen faked a pass to the left, maneuvered through two defenders, and broke up the middle to cross into the end zone.
Playing through an injured throwing hand, which drew attention from medical staff on the sideline, Allen had a solid performance, completing 27 of 40 passes for 262 yards, with one rushing touchdown, one passing touchdown, and one interception.
This rushing touchdown marked the 58th of Allen’s career, placing him second on the Bills’ all-time list, surpassing O.J. Simpson and trailing only Thurman Thomas. Furthermore, with his two touchdowns in the game, he has now tied Jim Kelly for the all-time lead in franchise history with a total of 244 touchdowns.
The Bills’ defense made a crucial stop to thwart the Chiefs’ last attempt to score, culminating in linebacker Terrel Bernard’s interception of a pass thrown by Patrick Mahomes.
On the opposing side, Mahomes completed 23 of 33 attempts for 196 yards, throwing three touchdowns—two to tight end Noah Gray and one to Xavier Worthy—but also throwing two interceptions.
In terms of notable occurrences during the match, this game marked only the fifth meeting since 1970 between teams with eight or more wins by Week 11 or earlier. Bills defensive end Von Miller made a notable contribution with a sack, placing him in 17th on the all-time NFL sack list, ahead of Derrick Thomas and just half a sack behind Rickey Jackson.
Injury notes included the return of Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper, who missed two games due to a left wrist injury, while starting right tackle Spencer Brown remained sidelined due to an ankle issue.
Looking ahead, the Chiefs will face off against Carolina next Sunday, while the Bills will take a bye week before hosting San Francisco on December 1.
