Due to the incandescent Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, there’s nothing fairly just like the Buffalo Payments’ and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ rivalry in at the moment’s NFL. Each time these two match up, we will anticipate an immediate basic.
However greater than most, it looks like the Payments have the Chiefs’ quantity … within the common season. There’s no different cheap conclusion after watching Allen cruise in for an superior clutch landing run to salt away the Payments’ fourth straight regular-season win over their greatest rivals, ending their once-undefeated season.
The Payments have perfected the recipe to beat Kansas Metropolis higher than anybody. It’s simply that beating Patrick Mahomes when he nonetheless has extra medium-stakes video games to play versus beating him along with his group’s season on the road looks like a unique animal:
“We’ll do it once more, child.” – Patrick Mahomes to Josh Allen pic.twitter.com/6l2B3SP9qQ
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 18, 2024
Sunday’s Buffalo game-plan was no completely different from any of its earlier wins over Kansas Metropolis.
The Payments relied on a technically sound defensive efficiency that pressured Mahomes to play a dink-and-dunk recreation and play inside himself slightly than take significant possibilities downfield. The Chiefs averaged simply 5 meager yards per play, whereas Mahomes averaged lower than six yards per go try. His longest go completion of the day was a 31-yard dart to Xavier Worthy within the first quarter.
Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback of all time. However any time you power an electrical maestro like him to play at a slower, extra methodical tempo with extra persistence, you’re asking for perfection. You’re asking him to work tougher in opposition to a number of the best athletes on the planet. On the subject of the Payments, it additionally occurs in opposition to a number of the brightest defensive coaches within the sport. It’s a risky combine. You’re asking for hassle with out the constant functionality to create chunk performs. And the Payments know this.
Whereas the Chiefs had been undefeated coming into Buffalo, Mahomes hasn’t performed effectively with this type of duty in 2024. Mahomes is tied for the league lead in interceptions with 11 (he threw two extra on Sunday), and he has seen the very best interception share (2.9) of his profession since his rookie season in 2017 (the place he began only one recreation). It’s beginning to look like he can’t assist himself, which the Payments know easy methods to optimize.
Buffalo is aware of that in case you hold the Chiefs’ receivers in entrance of you, Mahomes offers you an opportunity at a turnover due to his usually aggressive mentality:
BILLS PICK MAHOMES ON THE SECOND PLAY.
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/qbz1UqDSKA— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
Past the Payments’ well timed protection often taking up in opposition to the Chiefs within the common season, it’s Josh Allen’s signature heroics that elevate his group excessive. Towards the group virtually at all times standing in Buffalo’s approach en path to a possible Tremendous Bowl, Allen is just nails. That is particularly the case when taking part in on the street in one of many NFL’s hardest environments for opposing groups.
On the street in Kansas Metropolis in 2021, Allen created almost 370 yards of offense by himself and 4 touchdowns (three within the air, one on the bottom) in a blowout victory. In 2022, as soon as once more in Kansas Metropolis, Allen was masterful from begin to end in a decent recreation. He threw the game-winning landing to Dawson Knox within the closing minutes. In 2023, in a defensive street battle, Allen took the Payments on a game-winning area objective drive.
And now, you had Allen placing his group on his again within the fourth quarter with that talked about magnificent fourth-and-short landing run to clinch one other win over the different greatest group within the NFL:
JOSH. ALLEN. GREATNESS.
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/3HyIoDCaAC— NFL (@NFL) November 18, 2024
So, if the Payments have the recipe to beat the Chiefs within the common season — well timed protection mixed with a top-three quarterback doing his factor — what goes mistaken within the playoffs?
Nicely, through the 2021 AFC title recreation, the Payments frankly didn’t belong on the identical area because the Chiefs in a 38-24 blowout loss that wasn’t all that shut. That was the top of the primary yr of Buffalo’s ascension. They wanted that sort of lesson to discover ways to compete with the NFL’s massive canine.
In the course of the 2022 AFC divisional spherical, Allen performed an ideal recreation from begin to end and even gave the Payments the lead with simply 13 seconds remaining. To this present day, it’s nonetheless some of the exceptional performances I’ve ever seen from a quarterback, win or lose. Someway, the Chiefs managed to create a game-tying kick on the finish of regulation anyway earlier than successful in extra time due to a fortuitous coin toss primarily based on archaic possession guidelines that had been later modified.
And in 2024, after Allen and the Payments put their hearts on the road for almost 60 minutes, kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard game-tying try within the waning moments … “vast left.” (Payments followers, I’m sorry for the double trauma.)
In different phrases, Allen’s Payments didn’t essentially do something mistaken in every of the 3 times they’ve misplaced to Mahomes’ Chiefs within the playoffs.
It’s that they couldn’t be extra snakebitten in the event that they tried. Soccer is a merciless recreation, dearest readers:
KICK IS NO GOOD.
📺: #KCvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FR6a2VkD33 pic.twitter.com/MbKo21IDlg— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2024
Nothing is a given within the NFL. Nothing ensures we are going to see Allen and the Payments sq. off with Mahomes and the Chiefs once more this January in a recreation that might possible determine the AFC consultant in Tremendous Bowl 59. However there’s one thing cosmic about the way in which these two groups’ fates appear perpetually intertwined. One other rematch between two of one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen feels inevitable. It feels written within the stars.
Whether or not that rematch takes place in Buffalo or Kansas Metropolis, the Payments ought to be ok with their possibilities. All they must do is hope the soccer gods lastly smile upon them and provides them a break.
