The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Buffalo Bills, 28-21, on Sunday afternoon in a game that came down to the wire.
Trailing by 15 points and facing a 4th-and-17 early in the fourth quarter, quarterback Patrick Mahomes kept the Chiefs alive when he found wide receiver Rashee Rice for 29 yards to move the chains. Kansas City was in the end zone four plays later when tailback Kareem Hunt powered ahead for a 2-yard touchdown, and following a successful two-point conversion, the Chiefs were only down by seven points with plenty of game left to go.
The Chiefs' defense then forced a Bills' punt on Buffalo's ensuing possession, but Mahomes – facing a long third down – was picked off by Bills' cornerback Maxwell Hairston deep down the field. The takeaway allowed Buffalo to drain precious minutes off the clock, and while Kansas City still managed to re-gain possession with 22 seconds remaining – and still only down seven points – Mahomes' heaves toward the end zone fell incomplete.
"We have to do better than that, obviously, when you're playing a good football team," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "We had opportunities."
Mahomes completed 15-of-34 passes for 250 yards in the game, leading Kansas City to points on two of its first three offensive drives. Mahomes engineered a seven-play, 53-yard scoring drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Rice on the Chiefs' second possession before leading Kansas City to a successful field goal attempt on its third series, briefly putting the Chiefs out in front.
The Bills then quickly responded with a go-ahead touchdown on their ensuing series, and on the Chiefs' next possession – which drove to the Bills' 39-yard line – Kansas City rolled the dice and came up short with a turnover on downs. Buffalo didn't waste the opportunity, either, cashing in with another trip to the end zone a handful of snaps later.
The latter score put Buffalo ahead by 11 points in the closing moments of the first half, and while Kansas City chipped away at the deficit prior to the break with a 19-yard field goal, the Bills extended their lead even further – this time to 15 points – when Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen rushed for a 1-yard score late in the third quarter.
Allen's touchdown – his second of the night – seemed to put the game out of reach, but Mahomes still managed to make things interesting when he found Rice for 29 yards on 4th-and-17. The Chiefs' rally ultimately fell just short, however, and Kansas City dropped to 5-4 on the year.
"We've had great moments, and we've had bad moments. We have to be more consistent as a team, and I have to be more consistent as a quarterback," Mahomes said. "We have to be able to battle. We've been in all these tight, close games in our history, but they're not going our way right now, so how do we deal with that adversity? How do we [get] better and learn from it? It will be an uphill battle when we get back, but I think our guys are up for it."
In terms of injuries, offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (ankle) left the game early.
The Chiefs will now head into their bye week before returning to action on Nov. 16 for a matchup against the Denver Broncos.
