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The Chiefs are 9-1

BY PETE SWEENEY

As you know by now, the Kansas City Chiefs are no longer undefeated. Their first loss of the 2024 NFL season came yesterday, in mid-November, at the hands of one of their greatest rivals of the past few seasons, the Buffalo Bills.

Once again, the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs and Josh Allen-led Bills delivered a heavyweight matchup with multiple lead changes. And, once again, in the regular season, the Bills emerged victorious.

Many fans who love the NFL enjoy quipping about the league’s script, crediting the league’s unending drama to a mastermind fiction writer who keeps us all coming back.

In regards to the Bills and Chiefs, they never seem to break away from it. Dating back to 2021’s AFC Championship game, the script’s rule has been the same: Buffalo beats Kansas City in the regular season, and Kansas City beats Buffalo in the playoffs.

Sunday marked the seventh straight matchup game where the rule held up.

And now, as we have done in the past, we wait.

I think Andy Reid’s usual message regarding in-game adversity rang true on Sunday.

During the head coach’s Monday afternoon Zoom media appearances, he typically has the same directive when asked about the team’s adversity. Much can be solved by avoiding turnovers and penalties, he’ll say, in one way or another.

Evading those issues is critical every week, but it becomes even more important when you are playing the No. 2 team in the conference that is nipping at your heels.

“The main thing is they’re a good team, and if you have a few mistakes in there, they [can] get capitalized on,” said Reid after the game. “But you keep battling, and normally good things will happen. But they did a nice job on that last drive, and we’ve got to take care of business on those.”

It was apparent Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen sensed the moment during the drive Reid referenced, as he knew that a touchdown would ice the game. Kansas City’s inability to apply consistent pressure on Allen for most of the afternoon culminated in his game-sealing dash.

“They did a nice job with protection most of the time, and when they didn’t, he moved around and made some nice throws,” added Reid. “He’s a good player, and he’s got good players around him, so we’ve got to tighten up in those situations and make sure we’re just a little bit better.”

Allen deserves a hat tip for being one of the best players in the NFL, one of a few who can rival the Chiefs’ signal-caller. Sunday served as a reminder that when you’re playing him, you can’t make those mistakes. And if you do, you’ll likely lose.

**What else is in this...