Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ undefeated streak is over. The reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions suffered a 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, ending their perfect 9-0 start to the season and their 15-game win streak that commenced last year.
The game was an incredible back-and-forth affair with five lead changes through three quarters. Mahomes could’ve had a chance to win the game had the Bills opted to attempt a 41-yard field goal with 2:27 left on the clock, which would have given them a five-point lead.
However, head coach Sean McDermott kept Josh Allen and the offense out on the field on 4th-and-2 and the quarterback repaid his coach’s faith with an astonishing 26-yard touchdown run, which commentator Jim Nantz dubbed “the play of the year.”
The touchdown gave the Bills a comfortable cushion and on the subsequent drive, Mahomes threw a game-ending pick, which marked the end of the Chiefs’ perfect start to the season.
Mahomes’ trainer Bobby Stroupe congratulated the Bills on their victory on X, and gave them a backhanded compliment, writing:
“Buffalo with the 5th consecutive regular season Super Bowl championship. Seriously great game. See y’all down the road. Respect.”
Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen head-to-head
Sunday’s game was Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen‘s fifth head-to-head battle in the regular season. The Bills quarterback has a dominant 4-1 record against the Chiefs superstar. However, the script completely flips in the playoffs.
Their three postseason duels have all gone in Mahomes and Chiefs’ favor. They first met in the playoffs in the 2020 AFC Championship Game, which Kansas City won convincingly.
Their second postseason meeting happened a year later in the divisional round, where Allen and the Bills had a three-point lead with 13 seconds left on the clock. However, the Chiefs managed to get in kicker Harrison Butker’s field goal range, forced overtime and scored the game-winning touchdown.
This game resulted in the league changing overtime rules and allowing both teams to possess the ball at least once. Their third playoff meeting was earlier this year in the divisional round and it was the first time the two teams were facing off in the postseason at the Bills’ stadium.
However, the home-field advantage did not change the outcome, as Kansas City won 27-24 before going on to win the Super Bowl for the second year running. Allen and the Bills will be ecstatic about their win on Sunday against Mahomes and the Chiefs, but they won’t feel truly vindicated until they get one over them in the playoffs.