Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another, and the defense generated three sacks to lift the Buffalo Bills to a 28-21 win against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Buffalo (6-2) withstood a fourth-quarter rally from reigning AFC champion Kansas City (5-4), which fell out of a playoff spot with the defeat. The Chiefs got the ball back in the closing seconds after Matt Prater’s 52-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright. They advanced to the Bills’ 40 but were unable to score.
Allen was 23 of 26 through the air for a career-best 88.5% completion percentage and 273 yards. He added 19 yards on six carries. James Cook gained 114 yards on 27 carries and Dalton Kincaid had six catches for 101 yards and a score.
Allen’s 1-yard touchdown run put the Bills ahead 28-13 with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter. But Kansas City responded with a TD on its ensuing possession, covering 66 yards in 11 plays.
Kareem Hunt scored from 2 yards out and the Chiefs got a 2-point conversion, but the drive hinged on a 29-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Rashee Rice on fourth-and-17 from the Bills’ 40-yard line. It marked the longest fourth-down conversion of Mahomes’ career.
The Chiefs forced the Bills to punt on the next drive but Maxwell Hairston intercepted Mahomes.
Buffalo defensive end Michael Hoecht left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury on a non-contact play, and after the game coach Sean McDermott announced that Hoecht had torn his Achilles.
The Bills led 21-13 at halftime.
Buffalo stopped Hunt for no gain and forced consecutive Mahomes incompletions as the Chiefs settled for a 19-yard Harrison Butker field goal just before the end of the half.
Another Bills’ defensive stand on the Chiefs’ previous drive helped Buffalo take control of the game. With Kansas City facing a fourth-and-3 from the Bills’ 39-yard line, Mahomes failed to connect with Rice, giving Buffalo the ball with 4:12 left before halftime. Allen then led the Bills on a seven-play drive, capping it off with a 1-yard scoring run.
The touchdown marked the 78th on the ground in Allen’s career including the postseason, as he surpassed Cam Newton for the most rushing TDs by a quarterback in league history.
Mahomes was 15-for-34 for 250 yards and an interception. Hunt rushed 11 times for 49 yards and a score while Rice had four catches for 80 yards to go with a rushing TD.
–Field Level Media
