Killer instinct, found: Why this win matters for the Buffalo Bills

They're bound to see the Kansas City Chiefs again. That's how it works for Josh Allen, Sean McDermott and the Bills. Sunday's 30-21 win is proof that 2024 could have a different ending.

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ORCHARD PARK, NY — By the time the sky turned pitch black, Patrick Mahomes was back to tormenting the team that could’ve drafted him. Should’ve drafted him. He doesn’t roll out of the pocket as much as he waddles and — somehow — it’s always effective. Blocking his vision was Greg Rousseau, a 6-foot-6 defensive end with 34 3/8-inch arms in the air.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ sorcerer of a quarterback was unfazed. He waited for tight end Noah Gray to break free, took a shot to the legs, fired a touchdown to the corner of the end zone and you couldn’t help but empathize with Terry Pegula. Again. He loved the kid from Texas Tech before anybody else. He knew moments like this were possible.

Two-point leads vs. this dynastic operation usually lead to nothing but tears and hangovers for the opposing fan base. In the playoffs, these Bills manage to cut the first incision themselves. In the 2020 AFC title game, they settled for a 20-yard field goal at the end of the first half. In that 2021 “Thirteen Seconds” fever dream, of course, there was the infamous touchback and DBs lined up in faraway zip codes. Then… yeah. Everyone in Western New York would love to forget about that fake punt to Damar Hamlin last season.  

This night, however, dread did not creep into the minds of players on the Bills sideline.

Kicking (in any form) would not be an option. All tomfoolery? Those plays now receive a proper Viking funeral into Lake Erie the morning of Chiefs games. At this precise moment, it was as if the Bills realized they also possess a mutant at the quarterback position. The cornerback burnt on KC’s touchdown, Rasul Douglas, wasn’t stressing at all when the Bills offense took the field with 7 minutes and 53 seconds to go.

“If it was fourth and 10,” Douglas said. “I wasn’t expecting them to punt or do anything but go for it. We already knew what time it was. Once they went out there on that drive, we said this shit’s got to end in seven.”

Real football does not begin until January for the Title-or-Bust Bills, but this 30-21 triumph felt light-years different than any regular-season win past over the Chiefs. This time, the Bills reached for the dagger in their boot and stuck that dagger directly through the chest of their nemesis. Head coach Sean McDermott coached to win and perhaps, in the “process,” just mayyyybe chipped away at the Chiefs’ eternal aura of invincibility.

Last offseason, we applauded GM Brandon Beane for psychologically driving this franchise the right direction. He wasn’t afraid to trade with the Chiefs on draft day. Nor was he afraid to slash salaries and steer a drastically different roster into the next playoff moment. Beane saw the value in a group without 13 Second-level “scars,” a group that would not be paralyzed in Here We Go Again dread when Mahomes inevitably strikes in the fourth quarter.

Beane also made it clear he wants his prized possession, Josh Allen, using that linebacker’s mentality.

The question was McDermott. Frankly, it’s always been McDermott.

And when the Bills faced a fourth and 2 from the Chiefs’ 26-yard line on Sunday night, the head coach went for the kill shot. He put the ball in his quarterback’s hands. Even if Allen would’ve failed in grotesque fashion, this would’ve been the right decision 100 out of 100 times. Better yet, this has been a promising theme. McDermott has been choosing to believe in his players all season. That was his promise to fans back when the Bills’ 2023 season ended, and he kept it. As a result, the Bills’ Super Bowl Window remains lodged open.

This quarterback always had a killer instinct.

Maybe McDermott found his on Nov. 17, 2024.

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The mood inside Buffalo’s locker room was telling. Players were very pleased with the win, but not jumping for joy. Not turning this space into their own “Club Dub” as seen from so many teams around the league. Deafening music did not blare. Trash talk was kept to a bare minimum. They’ve been here, done that vs. the Chiefs. Several players, however, did make a point to say just how thrilled they were with McDermott’s decision to go for it on that fourth down.

“We love it,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “Sean was being aggressive. We love him when he’s aggressive. The more he gives us chances to stay on the field, we love that. We want to put six points up on the board so the more we can stay out on the field, the better.”

Countless teams have seen what happens when you opt for a field goal to go up by five points in this spot. Mahomes ends you. Mahomes rises to the moment because that’s what he’s done his entire life.

Choose to believe in Allen and you create your own magic. The Chiefs showed man-to-man coverage before morphing into zone after the snap — a Steve Spagnuolo special. The Chiefs defensive coordinator wanted Allen to think an extra second. Make him pause just long enough for pressure to get home.

So, Allen didn’t overthinl anything. He slammed the TURBO button and rampaged 26 yards to paydirt.

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Considering Allen has started 100+ games, Knox estimates he’s seen Allen pull off roughly 100+ daredevil stunts. “It’s weird,” he said. “You get to the point where you kind of expect it and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, why does this almost feel normal?’ And then you watch it again on film, you’re like, ‘This shouldn't be normal.’” On this particular play, the tight end was running a shallow crossing route to the left. Allen took off to the right and he turned around to bear witness.

“I see half their defense in front of him, but somehow, I thought he was going to score,” said Knox, with a chuckle. “He’s just that type of dude. Makes guys miss. Jumps over people. Surprised he didn’t jump over someone today, but just an incredible play.”

No leap was required. Linebacker Nick Bolton lunged to smack Allen at the 8-yard line… and was whisked away with ease. Safety Bryan Cook foolishly tried tackling high at the 2 ½-yard line… and was taken for a ride across the goal line. Linebacker Drue Tranquill cold-cocked Allen in the facemask… and Allen was completely unbothered. He popped up — shoulder pad dislodged — and let out a primal yell.

If Allen wins MVP, this is the signature play that’ll loop nonstop. Once again, everyone could see exactly why teammates genuinely love playing with the backyard quarterback from Firebaugh, Calif.

Like Mahomes, he has developed a complete command of the do-or-die moment.

Running back Ty Johnson was on the field, too. He loves such “wild risks” from his quarterback, adding that he “never, never” wants Allen held back. On this play, Johnson felt just like you in Section 301 and you on your recliner at home. A spectator at a show.

The Allen who tapped the brakes the first three months of last season is gone. A year ago, he occasionally played as if McDermott’s words of caution were ringing in his ears.

Everyone is on the same page now.

“He’s a stallion, man. You’ve got to let him run,” Johnson said. “We love seeing those plays. He wouldn’t be Josh if he didn’t make those plays. That’s accepted as a fan base, as a teammate, as an organization. He’s going to do something crazy every game.”

“That’s the confidence in himself. Really having that unwavering belief in himself and knowing that he has a whole team of guys and a coaching staff and a front office that has unwavering belief in him as well. He’s going to make those plays.”

Speaking of players without Chiefs “scars,” a few lockers down, this team’s new WR1 could not be happier. After escaping Cleveland Browns Hell, Amari Cooper compared playing in Western New York to Pop Warner in South Florida. The atmosphere inside Highmark Stadium reminded him of parents shaking pop bottles full of rocks back in the day. Youth football is a different beast where he’s from.

Allen’s effervescent play style permeates throughout the roster.

Cooper looked and sounded like a wide receiver at peace. (Unlike the team’s top wideout a year ago.)

“It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve actually felt joy from winning this game — from just the way we played,” Cooper said, “from having so many guys on the team who are playmakers and they come up and they show up when their number is called collectively as a group. It’s just amazing. A lot of the guys here, it’s a different place — Buffalo — compared to some of the other places I’ve been to. It’s a tight-knit group. A lot of the guys go out together, they hang around each other 24/7, and it truly shows up on the field. It truly does.”

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Unleashing this quarterback in this moment was one problem that needed fixed. In this regard, McDermott has unquestionably evolved for good. Allen is on a damn warpath. Maybe the most important question to ask is whether or not his defense is better prepared to stop Mahomes in the playoffs. To recap, on 32 non-kneeldown drives the last four playoff losses, the Bills have surrendered 16 touchdowns and eight field goals while forcing only six punts and creating only one turnover with a missed field goal. The 134 points allowed equates to 3.52 points per drive.

On Sunday, Mahomes went 23 of 33 for 196 yards with three touchdowns. He found his groove. But he also threw one interception to start the game, one interception to end it and Buffalo generated more pressure than any of its playoff losses vs. KC with seven hits and two sacks. Rousseau is ascending, and the Bills have a true star in linebacker Terrel Bernard. With all due respect to A.J. Klein, an aging player plucked from the couch, this is a quantum upgrade. Soggy Ruby Tuesday wings to two dozen Nine-Eleven Tavern hots.

Bernard is the rare species of linebacker who can both make athletic plays in coverage and disrupt the quarterback with abandon. His sack came on a well-timed QB spy. He knew precisely when to tear upfield and wrangle Mahomes on third and 5. His outstretched interception underneath tight end Travis Kelce ended the game, and it’s a play cornerback Cam Lewis said he’s seen Bernard make “a million times” in practice. To beat KC — to create a rare Mahomes mistake — true weapons that transcend scheme are required. Sitting back in coverage and playing it safe for 52 snaps won’t fly.

There’s no such thing as stopping the Chiefs, but you can steal a possession or two.

The Bills needed a risk-taker like Douglas, who’ll stray from his assignment when necessary. And, remember, the vet revealed to Go Long he played all 50 snaps of last year’s playoff loss with a torn MCL.

The Bills needed to upgrade from its aging safety tandem of seven seasons. Taylor Rapp, who also intercepted Mahomes, tight-ropes the unnecessary-roughness fine line weekly. A good thing.

Above all, the Bills need a healthy Bernard when they see the Chiefs again. He’s most capable of the jaw-dropping play.

“Time and time again, that’s what he does,” Lewis said.

Bernard himself was subdued afterward. He thanked God a few times. Towel over his shoulder, he barely smiled. He sounded like a player (very) eager to play the Chiefs when the season is on the line.

Buffalo heads into its bye week riding high, but McDermott is 100-percent correct to note that this victory was not a “statement.” The Chiefs are still in pole position for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Bills, meanwhile, will now play a trio of tough opponents — San Francisco, at Detroit, at the L.A. Rams — with the knowledge that they lost tiebreakers against two other AFC contenders (Baltimore, Houston). Those Pittsburgh Steelers sure look legit, too.

The Bills can go ahead and print their AFC East Champs shirts. Whether it’s the divisional playoff round or the AFC Championship, they’ll see the Chiefs again. And when we chatted, Douglas offered a reminder that Mahomes isn’t alone. The Bills also must deal with Andy Reid, a head coach who turned 301-pound guard Mike Caliendo into the recipient of a five-yard pass at one point on Sunday.

“It ain’t just Mahomes,” Douglas told me. “It’s Andy. Andy is a hell of a coach. I feel like he’s at home, he starts eating snacks and shit and he just starts dialing up plays — ‘Oh, we’re going to get their ass with this!’ You’re playing against both of them. You’re playing against one of the best quarterbacks in the league and then you’re playing against one of the best head coaches ever.”

Mahomes-Reid has a realistic chance to usurp Belichick-Brady as the greatest duo in NFL history. They’re writing history. Fingerprints on the Lombardi Trophy were hardly fresh when these Chiefs starting talking about a three-peat.

But listen closely and you’ll notice that Douglas chooses his words carefully.

He calls Mahomes “one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”

He dubs Allen the best.

This latest cannon-blast was a friendly reminder that the Bills are one of the rare teams in the NFL capable of stealing that pen from Mahomes’ hand.

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