In what was a whirlwind of a game Sunday afternoon as the Buffalo Bills went into Arrowhead Stadium and beat the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 20-17. There's no doubt that the contest came down to a controversial call at the end where a game-winning touchdown was called back due to an offsides penalty.
However, what led up to that moment was the Bills controlling the pace throughout the game, forcing the Chiefs to make mistakes, and take advantage of their flaws. This was a much-needed win for Buffalo as they had a 6-6 record coming into the game and were three games behind the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East.
Drama heading into the game for Buffalo
There's an argument to be made that the contest was a “must-win,” especially with the drama going into the game where it was revealed that Bills head coach Sean McDermott used the terrorists on the September 11, 2001 attacks to compare how the team should band together. He said in an unplanned press conference that he regretted using that comparison and apologized to the team according to Heather Prusak of News 4 Buffalo
“Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country's history, but a day that I lost a good family friend,” McDermott said. “As I mentioned to the team then that I regretted and apologized for me not going a good enough job of communicating my point, I'm going to do the same with the team today. So if there's anyone new, they understand how important that is to me and my family because it's an important event, a horrific event in our history.”
Sean McDermott spoke to the media regarding a reference he made to 9/11 in a team meeting back in 2019 (as stated in @TyDunne's article).
Here is part of what McDermott said, saying he referenced it to emphasize the importance of communication. pic.twitter.com/SDhaJfKbdT
— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) December 7, 2023
With all the drama, the Bills desperately needed a win. While one can argue that it was a team-win and a complimentary game by all three facets of the Bills, there were some players that stood out that propelled Buffalo to victory.
Here are the biggest heroes for the Buffalo Bills in the potentially season-saving victory over the Chiefs:
Josh Allen, James Cook led the offense
It was a solid day for star quarterback Josh Allen Sunday against the Chiefs as he did just enough to guide the offense in contributing to the win. He showed his dual-threat ability as he threw and rushed for a touchdown to go along with his 233 yards through the air and 32 on the ground.
Besides Allen, running back James Cook had a fine game as he rushed for 58 yards, but really made his impact where he had a career-high 83 receiving yards which led the whole team. Cook had 83 total yards in the first half which the biggest moment came on catching a 25-yard touchdown. In total, he had 138 all-purpose yards.
A.J. Epenesa and the defense stifling Kansas City
While there's no doubt that the Chiefs have been very vulnerable this season, especially when it comes to their wide receivers, the Bills defense still had the tall task of stopping superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. However, the Buffalo unit would set the tone for the rest of the game in the first offensive drive of the game for the Chiefs.
While Kansas City would make easy work and drive down to Buffalo's territory, defensive end A.J. Epenesa was ultra-opportunistic, read an attempted screen-play, and forced an interception on Mahomes. It was an excellent play made by Epenesa and great concentration to catch his own deflection.
Bills ball thanks to @ajepenesa24!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/6w8UkuplaE
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 10, 2023
At the end of the day though, the Bills held the Super Bowl Champions to just 17 points on their home-field. That's pretty much all you can ask for on your defense when facing the likes of Mahomes, Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid. While some might question the potential-game winning play at the end which the Bills defense gave up, it didn't count.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney
Ok, this might be a facetious pick, but because of Kansas City receiver Kadarius Toney being called for off-sides on the play where Kelce lateraled the ball to him for the touchdown, it's like the play never happened. If you are active on social media and follow the side of the NFL, Mahomes' reaction is well-documented as he said after the game that it's “tough to swallow” according to CNN.
“Lost for words, man, it’s tough to swallow. I’ve played seven years [and] never had offensive offside called. That’s elementary school [stuff] we’re talking about. There was no warning throughout the entire game. Then you wait until there’s a minute left in the game to make a call like that? It’s tough,” Mahomes said. “Regardless if we win or lose, just the end of another game and we’re talking about the refs. It’s just not what we want for the NFL and for football.”
Even Reid had a view-point on the controversial call and called it “embarrassing” for the NFL.
“It’s a bit embarrassing in the National Football League for that to take place,” Reid said. “I’ve been in the league for a long time, haven’t had one like that.”
While the two can complain all they want, even though it was an insane play, Toney was standing off-sides before the ball was snapped. It sends the Chiefs and their fans distraught, especially since it's their second straight loss. On the other hand, the Bills get the much-needed win, but can't celebrate too much as their next game will be against the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday.
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