Throwback to Patrick Mahomes’ epic game-winning drive that led to major NFL rule change in Bills-Chiefs classic
The Buffalo Bills take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of an epic play-off encounter that forced the NFL to change its rules.
Josh Allen was better than Patrick Mahomes in an AFC Divisional Round playoff game but the Chiefs🌳 would have the last laugh.
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Buffalo led 36-33 🔜with 13 seconds left in regulation inside a cold and stun👍ned Arrowhead Stadium.
Yet in a chaotic series of events that still defy belief, Mahomes and the Chiefs emerged with a 42-36 victory in overtime, thanks to a lucky coin flip and Travis Kelce scoring the final deciding points.
"When it's grim, be the grim reaper," Kansas City head coach Andy Reid told Mahomes, perfectly♔ capturing an unbelievable back-and-forth ending that was debated f🥂or months and still affects the NFL today.
The Bills and Chiefs combined to score 25 points in the final 2 minutes of regulation, highlighted by Kansas City's Harrison Butker drilling a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
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T🌳he AFC rivals will meet again on Sunday in an AFC Divisional Round matchup in Buffalo.
In the 2021 postseason, Mahomes drove the Chiefs 75 yards in eight plays before connecting with Kelce and ending the Bills' season in a Divisional Round instant classic.
"We got tremendous leaders on both sides of the ball, whether it's offense, defense or special teams," said Tyreek Hill, who caught 11 passes for 150 yards and a TD. "Nobody panicked. Nobody was like, 'Oh, the game is over, there's 13 seconds left.' We just made plays."
Two months after the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship and the Bills were forced to stomach a painfully cruel finish, league owners approved a rule change that gu🔯aranteed each team a possession during OT in the postseason.
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"We thought about it before when it came up when Kansas City lost to New England (in theꦓ 2018 AFC Championship)," Bills general manager Brandon Beane . "I was wꦇatching that game going, man, you got a young Mahomes versus a veteran in (Tom) Brady and you never got to see Mahomes get his chance. Brady just took them right down the field."
Allen was brilliant for the Bills in the Divisional Round defeat, completing 27-of-37 p🐠asses for 329 yards, four touchdowns and a 136 rating.
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Performing like a🦩 modern franchise quarterback, Allen twice gave Buffalo a fourth-quarter lead and the Bills converted a successful-two point conversiꦗon in the same period.
The only thing that Allen didn't get right was the coin toss, which favoured Mahomes and the Chiefs.
"It's just tough, you know? To be in that moment again," Allen said. "It sucks the way it happened, you know? We wanted to win that game. We had opportunities. Just, yeah, taking it all in, holding onto that feeling, and making sure we don't feel like this again - back-to-back years in the same spot. It's tough to take in."
Buffa🔥l✱o had lost in the AFC Championship the year before.
In the 2021 AFC Divisional playoff thriller, Mahomes and Allen became the first QBs to throw for at least 300 yards with three TDs and no interceptions, and ha🌟ve 50 rushing yards during the same game in NFL history.
The Bills were 13 seconds away from ending the Chiefs' season.
But Mahomes played the Grim Reaper🌌𝔍 and saved Kansas City.
"Those guys are hurt, we're disappointed. We're all disappointed," Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. "We're all sick to our stomach. You move on and you try and get yourself to learn from it, but it stings. It stings. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It stings"
The Bills went 13-3 the following season but again fell short in the AFC Divisional Round🦩.
The Chiefs fell 27-24 to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2021 AFC Championship.
But the♒y have won back-to-back Super Bowls since and are now chasing a three-p♌eat.
Beating the Bills in OT during the 2021 playoffs was one of the most exciting wins of Mahomes' career.
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It took an unbelievable finish -- and a lucky coin toss -- for Reid's team to finally put Buffalo away.
"The guys didn't flinch," Reid said "You talk about an epic game, well, that's the way the players took it. They had tremendous respect for Buffalo and they knew it was going to be a battle and they kept going."
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