It felt like a 15-round heavyweight bout between quarterbacks Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. And in the end, Mahomes threw the haymaker when it mattered most, commanding a downfield charge to lead his Kansas City Chiefs to a 42-36 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills.
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Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
The ice water was absolutely coursing through Patrick Mahomes' veins Sunday night. The Chiefs quarterback didn’t have the fastest start to the game, but he went 11-of-16 for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. It was simply an unbelievable performance down the stretch.
Running Back
It was Clyde Edwards-Helaire who was breaking off long runs for the Chiefs in the win. The second-year back toted the rock only seven times, but those seven went for 60 yards with a long of 22 yards.
Of course, it was Patrick Mahomes who led the Chiefs with 69 rushing yards as he continued his scrambling ways.
Wide receivers/Tight ends
Tyreek Hill once again proved he’s unlike any other receiver in the NFL. He took a simple dig route 64 yards to the house completely untouched for a go-ahead score with just over a minute left.
Tyreek Hill put up the ✌✌ pic.twitter.com/jY8NiiC0X0
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 24, 2022
Just a little earlier, he almost housed a punt return that looked completely blocked up.
TYREEK HILL IS NEARLY UNCATCHABLE 🌀
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/fCRWkECr5M
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 24, 2022
Hill caught 11 of his 13 targets for 150 yards and a score.
Offensive Line
It was not close to a banner performance from the Chiefs offensive line. Tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie allowed four pressures while right guard Trey Smith allowed six. They had to result to chipping a good deal to try and help out on the edges.
Defensive Line
Melvin Ingram III may very well have been the difference between the Chiefs tumbling out of the playoffs and playing in the AFC championship game. He was the second-highest-graded defender on PFF's first review of the game film, behind only Chris Jones. Jones and Ingram combined for eight total pressures on first review — one sack (Ingram) and seven hurries.
Linebackers
Nick Bolton has been the kind of difference-maker that is hard to find as a rookie. He had two massive third-down run stops on the day as he ranged to the sideline to shut down two drives.
Nick Bolton has become such a force in the run game for the Chiefs. What a stop on McKenzie there. #Buffalo pic.twitter.com/20WzvYdl0c
— The Whole Delivery (@TWDTV1) January 24, 2022
Secondary
Without Tyrann Mathieu, the Chiefs secondary looked like a shell of what it had been over the second half of the season. Fellow safety Juan Thornhill ended up with over 100 yards allowed on his own, while Mike Hughes allowed all three of his targets to be caught for 50 yards and two scores.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Superman was back rocking the cape once again — Sunday night’s near-win capped the single greatest two-game stretch at the quarterback position in playoff history.
Allen finished 27-of-37 for 329 yards and four scores. And it wasn’t just what he did as a passer, as he also went for 68 yards on 11 carries, 10 of which were designed runs. However, it was the one scramble, which came on fourth down late in the fourth quarter, that even gave them a chance.
What a scramble by Josh Allen pic.twitter.com/PWZOwSolI4
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 24, 2022
There was nothing more the man could have done. We just saw arguably the greatest postseason of all time by a quarterback.
Running Back
While the running game was primarily fueled by Josh Allen, Isaiah McKenzie got in the mix, as well. He took three carries for 15 yards to supplant Devin Singletary’s 10 carries for 26 yards.
Receivers
It was the Gabriel Davis show Sunday night. The move he put on Mike Hughes for a massive fourth-down go-ahead score with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter will go down as the stuff of legend…
This route by Gabriel Davis, oh my god. pic.twitter.com/23TJSfGpGZ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 24, 2022
…though it was nothing — within the context of the game, at least — compared to his other go-ahead score when there were just 13 seconds left on the clock.
JOSH ALLEN AND GABRIEL DAVIS' 4TH TD GIVES THE BILLS THE LEAD WITH 17 SECONDS.
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/DgdL4Pwvnd— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022
Davis' eight catches for 201 yards and four scores will go down as one of the greatest playoff performances in history.
Offensive Line
While he allowed a sack, Dion Dawkins effectively shut down Frank Clark in this one. He allowed only one pressure on the day.
Dawkins was playing dominant football down the stretch, with only five pressures allowed after returning from injury in Week 16.
Defensive Line
What a day for former top-10 pick Ed Oliver. He was a force to be reckoned with throughout, finishing with seven pressures on only 33 pass-rushing snaps. It was one of the best performances of his young career.
Linebackers
While one former first-rounder showed out, another was a liability. Tremaine Edmunds was consistently picked on in coverage in this one. He allowed nine catches from 10 targets for 99 yards, with five of those catches going for a first down.
Secondary
The loss of Tre’Davious White was sorely felt in yet another playoff loss at the hands of the Chiefs. Levi Wallace allowed five catches from six targets for 130 yards, including a score. He wasn’t alone, however, as the Bills secondary didn’t force a single incompletion all night.
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