Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - It was, arguably, the most anticipated game of the regular season on Sunday between the Buffalo Bills and the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. When all was said and done, the Bills came away with the victory, 30-21, and spoiling the undefeated season for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Sunday's victory in Orchard Park was an exhilarating one for Bills fans, as the team improved to 9-2 on the season, a mark that has not been reached since the 1992 season. It is also the fourth-straight win over the Chiefs in the regular season, as well as the first win at Highmark Stadium over Kansas City since the 2012 season.
"This is so exciting. We have been waiting for this moment," said Bills fan Jessica Czarcinski from Blasdell after the win. "The town has been on fire. We've been watching the Kansas City Chiefs fans come in, and they've been so nice, and we welcome them. But we are so happy to win."
"I thought that was a great performance," added Bills fan Thomas from Albany, attending the game with his wife and two sons. "We're missing a lot of guys, a lot of guys were injured. Even though it's still the regular season, every time you beat the Chiefs, I think mentally, it just gives you more-and-more confidence for that. We're gonna eventually face them in the playoffs again, so it's good stacking those wins up against them."
For many Bills fans, this win was a statement one for quarterback Josh Allen, who helped seal the victory with a 26-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-2 with the clock under three minutes to go and Buffalo going up by two scores late.
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"We knew it was going to happen coming into Buffalo's house. We knew what was going to happen," said Bills fan Spencer attending the game from Texas on Sunday. "Josh Allen's the MVP, we all knew that coming in, and he solidified it tonight."
"There's no better team to play a game like that against. And Josh Allen's the MVP," Thomas added during his interview with WBEN.
"I think the crowd says it all. MVP today. He played awesome. He really rose to the occasion. We're so proud to have him as our quarterback," Czarcinski agreed.
For Bills fan John from Washington, D.C., he says this win will definitely make his trip home that much more worth it. He also believes Allen has played at an MVP caliber this season.
"He cemented the MVP," said John with WBEN after the game. "He should have had it last year, but this year, he's even better."
Allen finished his afternoon by going 27-of-40 through the air for 262 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also added a team-best 55 yards on the ground on 12 carries, and his game-sealing touchdown.
While Sunday's victory was nice to be able to beat the Chiefs and knock them from their unbeaten perch, fans know this is likely not the last time these two teams will meet over the course of the season. Bills fans know another possible matchup will come in the postseason.
"It's going to have to go through Buffalo at the end of the season, we knew that. Whenever the season started, we didn't doubt it for a second. Everyone else did, but we didn't doubt it for a second," Spencer said with WBEN.
"I hate to say it so soon after a great game like that, but I looked at all the guys around us, and I'm like, 'We're doing it in the regular season. This team's been so good for five years, but we've gotta get over the hump in the playoffs.' We've gotta do that in January. That's the only thing left," Thomas added.
Up next for the Bills will be a week of rest for the bye, and then it's back to work for the home stretch of the season, starting on Sunday, Dec. 1 against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium for a prime-time affair.
The good news for the Bills is the bye week will allows for some key players to get some additional time off to nurse some injuries and get healthier. In addition, the return from the bye could also signify the return of linebacker Matt Milano, who has not played this season due to a torn bicep suffered just before the start of the year.
"Love getting Milano back, love getting [Keon] Coleman out there with the blocks. Love the team coming [back] healthy," John said.
"Feeling great. We get another week, we've got people resting from injury. Hopefully we get Matt Milano back for the Niners, and we're ready for the next week," Spencer added.
"I think it's a really comfortable position that we're in right now. I think everybody's ready to go, the Bills are ready," Czarcinski said. "We're gonna go in, we're gonna get some rest, and we're gonna come back out and we're gonna stomp them."
As for the 49ers, they dropped another key divisional game on Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks to drop to 5-5 on the 2024 season, which sees San Francisco at the bottom of the NFC West standings.
Before coming to Buffalo, the 49ers will head to Green Bay to face the Packers in another key NFC battle next Sunday afternoon.
Thomas knows the 49ers will be a good test, but he's looking forward to seeing what the Bills can do against, arguably, the best team in the NFC in a few weeks.
"That Lions game, I think, will be a real good test. That Lions game will be a real good test, in terms of seeing where I think we're at, especially defensively," Thomas said.