The Beat the Chiefs on Sunday.
The competition, in which the teams' final results were roughly in line with the season's average, also brought significant insights on and off the field.
But the biggest belonged to Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard.
With 1:07 left in the fourth quarter, the Bills' defensive captain and play caller picked off a pass from Patrick Mahomes intended for Kansas City tight end and MGMT “Electric Feel” fan Travis Kelce to tie the game intercept at the end.
Terrel Bernard just called GAME in Buffalo! 🦬
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– NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime)
The entire Buffalo defense ran into the end zone to celebrate with him after getting in front of Kelce to snatch the ball out of the air.
“The main thing is to be aware of it,” about the coverage of the Chiefs TE up to WIVB. “Before and after the snap, I try to get guys around him as much as possible, still playing within our plan and our system, but knowing he's going to be one of the first options on every passing play. “
It was the second interception for KC's Mahomes, whose first and last throws of Sunday's game were intercepted by Buffalo.
Bernard, who sat out the last time the two clubs met in the divisional round of the playoffs in January, also had eight tackles and a sack on the day, along with the big turnover.
“I think with this awareness, [defensive coordinator] Bobby [Babich] did a great job of game planning, all the coaches did, we kept him in mind all week and knew where he was and where he was going to be, what he likes to do in certain spots. I think that was a big factor and everyone paid attention to the details of the defense.”
Everything has changed for Kelce since his last duels against the Bills, in which he seemed unstoppable.
Maybe he just wants to shake it off, knowing all too well that Bernard and the Bills defense held him to just two catches for eight yards.
But with the win, the Bills now have a better chance of a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, as do the Chiefs, even though they're not out of the woods yet.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had high praise for the Bills when asked what off-field lessons he took away from the loss.
“Things you can learn. The main thing is that they are a good team and if you have a few mistakes, they can capitalize on them.” .
The teams could face each other again in the postseason, and time will tell which club will host the other in that case.
