Game Recap

Bills 30, Chiefs 21 | Final score, stats to know + game highlights

Nov 17, 2024 at 07:27 PM

Dorian Alerte

Contributing Correspondent

Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs, Regular Season, November 17, 2024 at Highmark Stadium.

Location: Highmark Stadium

Attendance: 71,112 (first time over 71K since 2008)

Final score: Bills 30, Chiefs 21

Records: Bills (9-2), Chiefs (9-1)

Next opponent: Bills vs 49ers on Sunday, December 1 at 8:20 pm ET

In a back-and-forth contest, the Bills handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss, defeating them 30-21.

QB Josh Allen put the team on his back and completed 27 of 40 passes for 262 yards and 1 passing touchdown. He also led the ground game with 55 yards and 1 touchdown. RB James Cook had only nine carries, but he scored two touchdowns on the ground. WR Khalil Shakir caught 8 passes and led all receivers with 70 yards. WR Curtis Samuel also had his best day as a Bill, hauling in 5 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, LB Terrel Bernard was a tackling machine, racking up eight and 1.0 sack.

EDGE Von Miller also had 1.0 sack, while S Taylor Rapp racked up six tackles and caught an interception.

Additional notes from the win:

Bills are 9-2 for the first time since 1992
Bills are 9-2 and remain in first place in the AFC East
Bills won their sixth consecutive game
Bills are 5-0 at home for the first time since 1995
Bills are 32-7 at home since 2020 – NFL's best record in that span
Bills snapped Kansas City's 15-game winning streak and became the first NFL team to beat the Chiefs in four consecutive regular season games since the Titans (Week 1, 2014 to Week 7, 2021)

Related Links

Game Frames | Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Week 11
Fan Photos | Bills vs. Chiefs | Week 11
Fit Check | Bills vs. Chiefs | Week 11

🙌1. Pick to Points

For the second week in a row, an early interception led to points for the Bills offense.

On the Chiefs' second play from scrimmage, QB Patrick Mahomes dropped back, looking in the direction of WR Juju Smith-Schuster, and threw an interception to S Taylor Rapp.

After an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Bills defense, the offense started with possession at their own 35-yard line. Facing a third-down-and-six from their own 39, Allen connected with WR Amari Cooper for a 30-yard reception, placing them well into Chiefs territory.

Five plays later, after a 15-yard reception from WR Curtis Samuel placed the offense at the 3-yard line that RB James Cook was able to run in and bring the early lead to 6-0 in favor of the Bills.

👍2. A quick response

After the Chiefs offense took the ball down the field and scored a touchdown, the Bills offense went right back down the field and reclaimed the lead.

QB Josh Allen made two big plays down the field including a 24-yard completion to TE Dawson Knox. On the second big play, Allen was facing pressure and threw a pass while getting hit by defenders to Cooper who caught the ball along the right sideline and placing the ball at the Chiefs 6-yardline. On the next play, Cook shook off several defenders and scored the touchdown.

🔙3. Chiefs back in the lead

Following a sack from EDGE Von Miller on third down that forced the Chiefs to punt, the Bills took over with another opportunity.

Allen, however, threw an interception to S Chamarri Conner while looking for Knox. The Chiefs then executed a nine-play drive, and they took the one-point lead back over Buffalo 14-13.

🦵4. Two minutes, no problem

Directly following the Chiefs touchdown, the Bills received the ball with 2:44 left on the clock right before halftime. Allen went back to work, picking apart the Chiefs defense, finding Samuel for 21 yards in between two defenders. Then, in Chiefs territory, Allen evaded pressure again, ran to his right and found WR Mack Hollins for 13 yards.

The Bills reclaimed the lead 16-14 from a K Tyler Bass 33-yard field goal right before halftime.

🤫5. A quiet third quarter

The third quarter looked different than the first half, as neither team put points on the board. Each team had a three-and-out and had their second drive end in a punt.

The Chiefs second drive of the third looked promising until DB Cam Lewis made a shoestring tackle of TE Travis Kelce that stopped him short of getting a first down.

The Bills third drive of the third quarter saw them have signs of life however, when Allen connected with WR Khalil Shakir for a 22-yard catch-and-run that placed the ball at the Chiefs 49-yard line.

👍6. Expanding the fourth quarter lead

The Shakir catch-and-run gave the Bills possession in Chiefs territory, and they capitalized on the opportunity.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Allen looked Samuel's way, catching two passes, including the touchdown. Allen faced pressure again from the Chiefs defensive line and evaded it, finding Samuel wide open in the middle of the defense. From there he ran it in and the Bills had a nine-point lead.

👍7. Down to the wire

The Chiefs shrunk the Bills' lead back to only two after a touchdown made the score 23-21.

The Bills took their next drive and marched down the field on a 12-play drive that resulted in another touchdown and brought the lead back to nine.

Facing a fourth down from the Chiefs' 26, Allen called his own number and scrambled to his right, breaking three tackles and found his way into the endzone.

On fourth-down-and-13 after a holding penalty, Mahomes threw the ball over the middle and was intercepted by Bernard. The offense was able to take victory formation and end the game.

Lineup Notes: WR Amari Cooper made his return to the lineup after missing two games with a wrist injury; DT DaQuan Jones played in his 150^th career regular season game; RT Spencer Brown missed his first game of the season due to an ankle injury; RT Ryan Van Demark made his first NFL start; TE Dalton Kincaid missed his first game of the season due to a knee injury; TE Zach Davidson made his Bills debut.

🔑Key Stats and Facts:

Josh Allen has become the eighth player aged 28 or younger to reach 25,000 passing yards. Patrick Mahomes was the last player to achieve the feat (2023). Others Drew Bledsoe, Matthew Stafford, Dan Marino, Jared Goff, Peyton Manning, and Cam Newton.
James Cook is now the first Bills running back with 10 total touchdowns in a season since LeSean McCoy in 2016.
The Bills have forced a turnover in all 11 games this season. The last time they did this in each of their first 11+ games of a season was 2000 (also first 11).
Josh Allen has passed Joe Ferguson (2,188) for second place on the team's all-time completions list.
Khalil Shakir now has five consecutive games with 6+ receptions – fourth-longest streak in team history (Diggs – 14,10; Moulds – 6).
Curtis Samuel now has 30 total touchdowns for his career.
Samuel is the 11th Bill to catch a touchdown this season, which marks the most in the NFL.
Josh Allen has 22 games with one rushing touchdown and 250 passing yards is the most in the NFL since 1950 (Passes Tom Brady – 21).
Josh Allen's 58 rushing touchdowns takes sole possession of second place in Bills franchise history (Thurman Thomas – 65).

🏈Scoring Plays:

10:04 1Q | BUF 6 KC 0 | James Cook right end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Tyler Bass extra point is No Good, Wide Right.

15:00 2Q | BUF 6 KC 7 | Patrick Mahomes pass short right to Xavier Worthy for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

10:13 2Q | BUF 13 KC 7 | James Cook up the middle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

2:53 2Q | BUF 13 KC 14 | Patrick Mahomes pass short middle to Noah Gray for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

0:05 2Q | BUF 16 KC 14 | Tyler Bass 33-yard field goal is GOOD.

12:57 4Q | BUF 23 KC 14 | Josh Allen pass short right to Curtis Samuel for 12 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

7:59 4Q | BUF 23 KC 21 | Patrick Mahomes pass short right to Noah Gray for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

2:27 4Q | BUF 30 KC 21 | Josh Allen scrambles right tackle for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN.