There have been more than 400 games played by the Bills in Orchard Park. There has never been a game like Sunday’s.
And with only a little more than a season left in the current stadium, it’s probably safe to say nothing else will come close.
The two best players in today’s NFL went toe-to-toe leading their teams in a wild, well-played affair. Finally, Josh Allen ran 26 yards for a touchdown with 2:17 left to give Buffalo a 30-21 victory.
Allen and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs were both sensational in directing their teams. It’s up to the reader to decide who’s number one and who’s number two. But Allen ran it in to win it.
With just under two-and-a-half minutes to go, and the Bills hanging on to a two-point lead, Buffalo had fourth-and-2 from the 26-yard line. Sean McDermott thought about a 44-yard field goal try, but he thought again. He decided to keep the offense on the field.
“I would have stood by it if it didn’t work out,” McDermott said. “I just felt there have been too many games where Andy (Reid) and Patrick (Mahomes) have come back. We kick a field goal and they go and score a touchdown or it’s overtime … they’re just way too good to not go for it there.”
Josh Allen said he “appreciated” the confidence McDermott displayed. Then he took it a step further.
“They had a man-look but they dropped out into zone,” Allen said. “There was a crease, and I just trusted the feet.”
And the bulk. Allen bulldozed Nazeeh Johnson, Nick Bolton, and Bryan Cook to fight his way into the end zone and put Buffalo up by nine points.
Game over.
But what a game it was. The Bills had scoring drives that went 10 and 12 plays. Kansas City had drives of 10 and 11. The Bills were assessed just three penalties.
Taylor Rapp intercepted Mahomes’ first pass and Terrel Bernard intercepted his last. And Bernard and Von Miller each had one sack.
Still, Mahomes had the Chiefs in position to take the lead for the third time until Allen ran it in. It was a highly contested and well-played game between two of the NFL’s best teams and featuring two of its brightest stars.
The win was Buffalo’s sixth straight this year, their eighth of nine wins where they’ve scored 30 points or more. It was Kansas City’s first loss after 15 straight wins, including last season’s Super Bowl.
But according to Josh Allen, it doesn’t mean that much.
“We’re in Week 11,” he said. “We’ve got nine wins. The last time I checked, nine wins probably doesn’t get you in the playoffs.”
Agreed. But a win over the Chiefs puts you in the Super Bowl conversation with just six games left in the regular season.
And perhaps a rematch with Kansas City. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance of that according to veteran Von Miller.
“100 percent,” he said. “We’re going to see the Chiefs again whether it’s at our place or their place. We’re going to see the Chiefs again.”
Count me in. It’s the best the NFL has to offer.
John Murphy, the longtime Voice of the Bills, is writing columns for WIVB.com this season. Find more of his work here.