The Bills spent a lot of time during the offseason coming up with ways to close the gap between themselves and the Chiefs in the AFC.
After Sunday’s Week Five result, it’s safe to say Buffalo accomplished that mission.
The Bills made a clear statement that they are among AFC’s elite with a 38-20 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
It was a game that featured a one-hour, two-minute weather delay between the second and third quarters, but that didn’t matter much for the final result. Kansas City gave up at least 30 points for the fourth consecutive game, as Buffalo blew through the team’s defense for 436 yards.
The Chiefs took a 10-7 lead with 10:00 left in the second quarter. But from there, Buffalo controlled the game. The Bills scored 17 consecutive points to take a 24-13 lead into the extended halftime.
Safety Micah Hyde began to put the game out of reach with a 26-yard pick-six midway through the third quarter. And quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw another interception late in the quarter deep in Buffalo territory to keep Kansas City off the board.
The Chiefs narrowed Buffalo’s lead to 11 points and it looked like they’d have an opportunity to make the game closer. But a key, questionable roughing the passer penalty against defensive end Frank Clark on third down allowed the Bills to extend a fourth-quarter drive. And Buffalo put the nail in the coffin with receiver Emmanuel Sanders’ 8-yard touchdown with 5:51 on the clock.
Quarterback Josh Allen led the way, going 15-of-26 passing for 315 yards with three touchdowns — averaging 21 yards per completion and 12.2 yards per attempt. Allen was also Buffalo’s leading rusher with eight carries for 59 yards, including a 9-yard TD.
The Chiefs had another game with four turnovers, three of them by Mahomes. He had one of the worst games of his regular-season career, going 33-of-54 passing for 272 yards with a pair of TDs and a pair of interceptions. But he also lost a fumbled snap late in the fourth quarter on a possession that could have at least gotten Kansas City a cosmetic touchdown.
The two-time defending AFC champs could also be without their starting running back for a while, as Clyde Edwards-Helaire exited the contest in the second half with a left knee injury and did not return.
Kansas City is now 2-3 on the season and will travel to face 2-3 Washington in Week Six.
At 4-1, Buffalo will be on the road to take on the 3-2 Titans next Monday night. The Bills can make another statement with a second straight primetime victory on their way to clinching the AFC East sooner than later.