The Buffalo Bills won the NFL's Week 11 feature game 30-21 at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo (9-2) ended Kansas City's (9-1) undefeated season in the clash between the AFC heavyweights.
The first half started with a bang for the Bills. Buffalo's defense made the first big play of the night when safety Taylor Rapp intercepted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the second play of the game.
The Bills' offense responded with an eight-play touchdown drive, culminating in a three-yard James Cook touchdown rush. Kicker Tyler Bass missed the PAT, giving Buffalo a six-point lead.
The defense kept things quiet for the rest of the first quarter. Kansas City responded early in the second quarter with receiver Xavier Worthy making a 10-yard touchdown catch.
The rest of the first half looked like a shootout was brewing. Buffalo's offense managed to regain the lead in nine plays. Once again, Cook found the end zone and plowed through the middle of the line for a six-yard touchdown.
Kansas City retook the lead late in the second quarter. Mahomes found backup tight end Noah Gray for a two-yard touchdown reception.
The Bills rounded out the half with a 12-play drive. Bass was successful from 33 yards out to give Buffalo a two-point lead at halftime, 16-14.
In the third quarter the defense came to the fore. The teams combined for four punts in the quarter, but the four drives totaled just 55 yards between the two offenses.
Buffalo would finally break the stalemate in the second half. The Bills' offense recorded a strong 10-play, 83-yard drive. Allen pulled away from a Kansas City blitz to find receiver Curtis Samuel in space. The wideout scampered into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.
The fireworks continued with the Kansas City offense. Mahomes extended a play from Buffalo's one-yard line, rolled right and found Gray for his second touchdown of the night.
Buffalo then went on a 12-play drive to give the Bills another two-point lead. The Bills put the ball in the hands of Josh Allen and it paid off. On fourth-and-2 from the Chiefs' 26-yard line, Buffalo decided against the field goal attempt. The call paid off as Allen rushed from 26 yards, breaking through the Kansas City defense on his way to the end zone. With just over two minutes to play, Buffalo would take a 30-21 lead.
Kansas City attempted a comeback and moved into Bills territory. However, a penalty forced the Chiefs into a fourth-and-13 attempt. The final play for Kansas City was an interception by linebacker Terrel Bernard.
Here is the rest Bill's Wire's immediate analysis following the Victory over the Chiefs:
Summary of the rating
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First quarter
BUF 6, KC 0: James Cook 3-yard touchdown rush. PAT failed. (10:00)
Second quarter
KC 7, BUF 6: Xavier Worthy 10-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes. Spencer Shrader PAT. (14:53)
BUF 13, KC 7: James Cook 6-yard rushing touchdown. Tyler Bass PAT. (10:08)
KC 14, BUF 13: Noah Gray 2-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes. Spencer Shrader PAT. (2:51)
BUF 16, KC 14: Tyler Bass 33-yard field goal. (0:00)
Third quarter
No rating
Fourth quarter
BUF 23, KC 14: Curtis Samuel 12-yard touchdown reception from Josh Allen. Tyler Bass PAT. (12:51)
BUF 23, KC 21: Noah Gray 1-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes. Spencer Shrader PAT. (7:53)
BUF 30, KC 21: Josh Allen 26-yard touchdown rush. Tyler Bass PAT. (2:21)
Important statistics
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- The Bills defense forced two interceptions at critical moments. They intercepted Patrick Mahomes on the Chiefs' opening and closing drives.
- The Bills outscored the Chiefs on offense by a total of 366-259 yards.
- Allen totaled 317 yards (262 passing, 55 rushing).
- Allen led the Bills with 55 yards rushing. Allen's overall performance exceeded the combined yardage of James Cook, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis.
- Khalil Shakir led the Bills with eight receptions for 70 yards.
- Terrel Bernard and Von Miller each recorded a sack.
- Buffalo didn't allow any sacks in the game.
- The Bills' defense has forced a turnover in all 11 games this year.
- Allen's touchdown moved him into second place on the franchise career rushing touchdowns list.
The gameplay
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Josh Freakin' Allen. The Bills put together an overall team performance, with standout plays from players on each unit.
The standout piece, however, fell into Allen’s arms. With just over two minutes left in regulation, Buffalo faced its biggest decision of the night. On fourth down-and-two, head coach Sean McDermott might call for a 43-yard field goal attempt. This would give the Bills a chance to take a five-point lead and force the Chiefs to score a touchdown to win the game.
However, as everyone in Buffalo knows, we've seen this script before.
McDermott sent his offense back onto the field. Allen dropped back briefly and then saw the Kansas City defense drop in man coverage. With no one spying on Allen, the possible MVP took off and broke through the Chiefs defense. Allen ended the run by bowling through two Kansas City defenders at the goal line on the way to the end zone.
With Tyler Bass' successful PAT, the Bills took a nine-point lead. Given the way the Bills defense played and Allen's penchant for heroics, it was a game worth playing.
Play balls
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- Josh Allen – Allen's heroics were documented from the game. Once again he prevailed against Mahomes in an exciting competition. His 317 total yards kept everyone on the field paced. His ability to extend plays is nothing short of remarkable. Allen put up those numbers with a running game that was pretty difficult on the afternoon, two of his top targets missed the game due to injury, and his No. 1 receiver played at less than 100 percent.
- Offensive Line – The offensive line didn’t give up a sack. They struggled with injuries as Spencer Brown was unable to play due to an ankle injury. Dion Dawkins was also temporarily sidelined due to an injury during the game. Allen's versatility helps this unit, but the offensive group was good enough to keep players like Chris Jones and George Karlaftis away from Allen.
- Khalil Shakir-Shakir has just blossomed this season. Once again, his ability to gain yards after the catch keeps the offense moving forward. He's slippery in space and Shakir is as reliable as any receiver in the NFL right now.
- Terrel Bernard – He led the Bills with eight total tackles. Bernard recorded a sack and his interception late in the fourth quarter sealed the game for the Bills.
- James Cook – Cook receives a game ball if he finds the end zone twice in the game. His stats aren't great, but two rushing touchdowns are pretty great.
- Curtis Samuel-Samuel took the place of Keon Coleman. He also saw time as Amari Cooper wasn't playing at full health. Samuel had five catches for 58 yards. The veteran did a great job of sneaking through the Chiefs defense en route to his first touchdown as a Bill.
What's next?
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 11: Linebacker Nick Bolton #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs tackles quarterback Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada on . Bolton was assessed a tackling penalty in the game. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 25-22 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Buffalo heads into their bye week after their outstanding win. The Bills are half a game behind the Chiefs in the AFC standings.
Buffalo returns to action on December 1 against San Francisco. The Bills-49ers game will be the main game on Sunday night in Week 13.
