Grading the Chiefs’ winning performance in AFC Divisional Round game vs. Bills
The Chiefs survived another dramatic playoff game against the Buffalo Bills with a 27-24 road victory on Sunday night.
The outcome was sealed when Bills kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining and the Chiefs ran out the clock.
That’s the sixth straight Divisional Round victory for the Chiefs.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
Patrick Mahomes and the passing game were at their playoff best for most of the night. A pair of touchdown passes to Travis Kelce, a 131.6 passer rating. Oh, and Mahomes won a playoff game on the road for the first time in his career.
Next: The Chiefs will play at the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday for the AFC championship. It’s the sixth straight AFC title game appearance for the Chiefs.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
The first Mahomes touchown pass to Kelce was the 16th such connection, the most by a duo in NFL playoff history. Kelce was open on the 22-yard strike.
The second Mahomes-Kelce touchdown, a 3-yard tight-end screen, meant Kelce had his first multi touchdown game this season. That scoring drive to open the third quarter, started with a beautiful reception by Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 30 yards. He added a 32-yard catch later in the third quarter.
Incredible that Mecole Hardman was allowed to touch the ball near the goal line. His fumble through the end zone at the end of a jet-sweep cost the Chiefs a golden opportunity for a touchdown. At that point, Hardman had touched the ball twice and had fumbled it twice.
Rushing offense: A
Mahomes may have tired of seeing Josh Allen bust all his moves. In the third quarter, Mahomes took off for a 24-yard gain to set up a touchdown.
Isiah Pacheco got stood up at the end of his 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t stop him from crossing the goal line to give the Chiefs a 27-24 lead. If he had gotten 2 more yards on his 29-yard run in the fourth quarter, he’d have scored instead of being down at the 2. Hardman fumbled it away on the next play.
Pacheco’s two runs picked up a first down and sealed the game. He finished with 97 yards and a robust 6.5 yards per carry.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s season long 28-yard run showed great burst, and he split time with Pacheco in the second half.
Passing defense: B
L’Jarius Sneed surrendered his first touchdown of the season when Khalil Shakir slipped into the near corner of the end zone to take in Josh Allen’s pass on third-and-goal from the 13. That gave the Bills a 24-20 lead.
Injuries played a factor here. Safety Mike Edwards left the game on the first play with a concussion. Linebacker Willie Gay was gone before halftime with a neck injury.
With Edwards out, Chamarri Conner hardly came off the field. He opened the game by forcing a fumble that the Bills recovered on the first series. He later had a nice open-field tackle that helped force a punt.
Chris Jones and George Karlaftis batted down passes, but the Chiefs didn’t record a sack.
Rushing defense: D
Allen’s running makes rushing defense a challenge, and the Chiefs lost their spy on him when Gay went out with an injury. Allen had his usual strong game, but so did Bills running backs James Cook and Ty Johnson.
On the game’s first two possessions, the Bills had 94 rushing yards. They finished with 182 on the ground.
Special teams: A
Fantastic play by the Chiefs to snuff out a fake punt by the Bills on a fourth-and-5 from the 35. Leo Chanel and Cole Christiansen got credit for the tackle.
Harrison Butker’s 47-yard field goal was driven into wind for the Chiefs’ first points, and he added a 29 yarder later. Those kicks continued a remarkable season for Butker, who didn’t miss an extra point and flubbed only two field goals all season.
This story was originally published January 21, 2024 at 8:57 PM.