Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - That was a terrific win for the Buffalo Bills.
Yes, they will ultimately be judged by what happens in the playoffs. Yes, they have beaten Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season before, but are 0-3 against them in the playoffs.
That should not take anything away from the significance of Sunday's dramatic 30-21 victory at Highmark Stadium.
It's always good to beat the Chiefs. They are the NFL's gold standard. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
This is the fourth-straight regular season Josh Allen and the Bills have defeated Mahomes and company. The previous three were all in Kansas City.
Besides, NFL fans are tired of the Chiefs. They've become Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
The Bills did fans across the country a favor.
Buffalo has stacked wins against average-to-bad teams this season, but they had lost their two toughest tests of the season against the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, both matchups coming on the road.
Now they have a win over, what was, a 9-0 Chiefs team on the resume. They did also beat an Arizona Cardinals team that is currently 6-4 and leading the NFC West.
The win moves the Bills another step closer to a fifth-straight AFC East title. The Bills have never won five division titles in-a-row in franchise history.
The 9-2 Bills are now just a half game behind the Chiefs in the race for the all-important top seed in the AFC, and, of course, they now have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Bills, who have had to overcome key injuries all season, scored 30 points against a strong Kansas City defense, and did so without top passing game weapons Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid, as well as starting right tackle Spencer Brown.
It was the first time in 31 games a team topped 28 points against the Chiefs. This also snapped Kansas City's 15-game win streak dating back to last season.
Finally, it was a big win because we can all enjoy the bye week now!
It truly was a team effort from the Bills on Sunday.
A number of players made key plays, propelling the Bills to their sixth-straight win and 22nd in their last 24 regular season games at Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen had the kind of game an MVP produces. His 26-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-2 late in the fourth quarter was the final nail in the Chiefs' coffin.
But the Bills quarterback made some beautiful pinpoint throws on the way to 262 yards passing and a touchdown through the air.
As always, Allen's legs turned out to be a huge weapon, and not just on the game-sealing touchdown run.
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How about Curtis Samuel?
It has been an underwhelming first season for him with the Bills, but the veteran had some really big catches on Sunday. Samuel had a 15-yard reception on a 3rd-and-8 as part of the Bills' first touchdown drive of the day. He also came up with a 21-yard grab on a field goal drive just before halftime.
The icing on his cake was a blitz-beating touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that extended the Bills' lead from two points to nine.
Amari Cooper, who returned to the lineup after missing time due to a wrist injury, had two clutch catches in the first half.
On the Bills' first touchdown drive, Cooper made a one-handed grab on a 30-yard throw from Allen on a 3rd-and-7. On the Bills' second touchdown drive, he had a highlight reel, over-the-shoulder 24-yard reception as Allen, once again, beat the Chiefs blitz.
Khalil Shakir, a.k.a "Mr. Reliable", was his usual self on Sunday. He had a team-leading eight catches for 70 yards on the afternoon.
None bigger than a 10-yard reception on a 3rd-and-9 during a drive where the Bills were clinging to a two-point lead late. Not only did Shakir come up with the big first down, he held onto the ball despite getting absolutely crushed on the play.
That drive ended with the Allen 26-yard touchdown run.
On the previous touchdown drive, Shakir, who leads the NFL in yards after catch, caught a pass behind the line of scrimmage and turned it into a 22-yard gain.
There were key performances on defense as well.
Taylor Rapp picked off Mahomes on the second play from scrimmage. DaQuan Jones had pressure on the play that helped cause the turnover.
Terrel Bernard recorded a sack, and a game-ending interception.
Von Miller had a sack on a play where Greg Rousseau's pressure forced Mahomes to step up and run into Miller.
The Bills defense held the Chiefs scoreless on six of their nine drives. They recorded a pair of sacks and a takeaway for the 13th-straight regular season game going back to last season.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott deserves a mention too.
When the Bills were facing that 4th-and-2 at the Kansas City 26-yard line, up just two points and with 2:27 left, McDermott could have opted for a field goal attempt.
Earlier in the game, the Bills faced a 4th-and-3 at the Chiefs' 34-yard line, and McDermott chose to go for it. Allen ended up throwing an interception on the play.
But McDermott didn't play it safe. He knows from first-hand experience that no one-score lead is safe when you are facing Mahomes.
McDermott did the right thing by putting the game in the hands, or in this case on the feet, of Allen, and the franchise quarterback came through, sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy.
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Bonus notes:
- The Bills are 9-2 for the first time since 1992.
- Buffalo has scored, at least, 30 points for the fifth-straight game, and eighth time this season.
- The Bills are the only team to have beaten Patrick Mahomes four times.
- Buffalo is 5-0 at home this season.
- James Cook now has 10 rushing touchdowns on the season. He had four in his first two years. His 10 rushing touchdowns are the most for a Bills back since LeSean McCoy in 2016.
- Samuel became the 11th different Bills player with a touchdown catch. That's the most in the NFL.
