The last few weeks have not gone the way Kansas City would have liked, and this week was no different. In a battle that the Chiefs desperately needed to win to stay in the race for the top seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the postseason, the Chiefs took the Buffalo Bills down to the wire but weren’t able to finish them off to obtain their ninth win of the regular season.
Instead, Kansas City falls to 8-5 on the season, leaving fans and players alike frustrated with more questions than answers, and with only a few games left on the schedule, the gut-wrenching feeling that time the team needs to ‘fix’ its issues on offense is running out.
Kansas City fell behind two scores early, but running back Jerick McKinnon finally got the Chiefs on the board with 1:20 left in the first half on a seven-yard rush to the end zone, sending Kansas City into the locker room down 14-7.
After forcing Buffalo to settle for a field goal to open the third quarter, Kansas City moved upfield quickly to midfield after Patrick Mahomes completed a 15-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and an 11-yard completion to Travis Kelce, followed by a seven-yard run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Six plays later, three yards from the end zone, Mahomes drops back and throws a strike to Rashee Rice for the touchdown, decreasing the deficit to three with 3:30 left in the quarter. After forcing Josh Allen and the Bills offense to punt, it appeared the Chiefs were on track to take the lead. However, on the fifth play of their next possession, Mahomes connects with Rashee Rice for a six-yard gain but the rookie receiver fumbles the ball, giving it back to Buffalo. Luckily, Kansas City’s defense forces the Bills to go three-and-out as the third quarter expires.
Going into the fourth, Mahomes leads Kansas City on a seven-play drive that ends with Harrison Butker cashing in on a 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 17. However, two possessions later, Buffalo retakes a three-point advantage by way of a 39-yard Tyler Bass field goal.
Looking to take the lead and the game on their final offensive possession, Mahomes hooked up with Valdes-Scantling for a seven-yard gain and Rice for 19 yards. Two plays later, Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle for 25 yards before the veteran tight end lateraled the ball to Kadarius Toney, who took an open path to the end zone for what would’ve been the game-winning play. Unfortunately, Toney was called off-sides for lining up in the neutral zone, which nullified the play and set the Chiefs back five yards from midfield.
Mahomes attempted to move his team upfield, but after three consecutive passes fell incomplete, Kansas City was forced off the field on downs as Buffalo drained the time remaining. Kansas City is now 8-5 on the season and riding a two-game losing skid following a heart-breaking 20-17 loss to the Bills.
