For some Bills fans of a certain age, the ghost of Scott Norwood’s wide right 47-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXV and the three further Super Bowl losses that followed in successive years had begun to dwindle. After all, it’s a new era in Buffalo. They have a frequent shopper card to the NFL playoffs. They have a quarterback who can do exceptional things like effortlessly throw a football 65 yards. They came into form right time this season and got to host the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs instead of the usual other way around. With questions about the Chiefs’ lack of offense and how they would fare in raucous Buffalo, the time for the Bills to get past their postseason nemesis was now. Except the thing about curses is they can reappear at any time.
Tyler Bass missed it.
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 22, 2024
Devastating for #Bills fans. pic.twitter.com/WUElGRyOTk
With 1:47 to go on Sunday, and Buffalo down 27-24, out trotted Bills kicker Tyler Bass to attempt a 44-yard goal. Before anyone could process how the Chiefs would respond and whether we were about to head to overtime as we did two years ago, the kick went, yep, wide right. It could have missed in any number of ways. A nice doink would have done the trick. Maybe a block. But it had to go wide right and not only stab Buffalo in the heart but twist the knife.
An ensuing Chiefs first-down, meant Kansas City had ended Buffalo’s season for the third time in four years, and Patrick Mahomes and Co were headed to their sixth AFC championship game in a row. As Tony Romo pointed out on CBS, Mahomes has reached the AFC championship every season he has been a starter.
Like most Bills-Chiefs matchups, this one was dripping with intrigue, emotion, and dizzying momentum shifts. First half Josh Allen looked poised to rip the Chiefs’ monkey off his back. He was nearly flawless, passing for 111 yards and collecting hard fought yards on the ground. He ended the half with 51 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns, seemingly willing his way to the next level. But thanks to a Kansas City secondary that was able to keep Buffalo’s aerial attack in check, despite a minimal pass rush, the Bills entered the half only up 17-13.
Meanwhile the Chiefs’ offense, which has looked pulseless at times this season, came to life thanks to an even weaker Bills pass rush and zone defense which forgot about Travis Kelce at crucial times. Buffalo tightened up late in the second but only after they had allowed Kansas City to score on five straight possessions. To say this was the best the Chiefs offense looked in some time is an understatement.
The momentum shifts continued in the second half but were marked more by mistakes than the spectacular shootout we witnessed in the overtime classic from two seasons ago. With the Chiefs up 27-24 early in the fourth, facing a fourth and five from their own 40, Sean McDermott tried a fake punt with Damar Hamlin that failed. After Isiah Pacheco rushed for 29 yards on the next play, Mecole Hardman fumbled a short completion that should have been a touchdown through the end zone. Yet Buffalo failed to capitalize. The Bills offense which had fizzled in the second had a chance to redeem itself and punch a ticket to Baltimore with its final drive. But the short pass game and somewhat predictable runs by Allen were only enough to set up Bass for the miss that made the whole NFL gasp.
Had Bass made it, Mahomes would have been left a little under two minutes to rescue his team. We’ve seen enough of Mahomes to know that was more than possible. After the game, he talked about all the skepticism of the Chiefs’ ability to show up as a road team in the playoffs. “We were going to prove a point and show we can play anywhere,” he said.
Kansas City heads back to their happy place, the AFC championship, where the Ravens defense will present a monumental roadblock. But Mahomes, who many of us had almost forgotten about this season, only gets better in the postseason. And his defense on Sunday looked as good as it did at its impressive peak in the regular season.
The Bills too head back to a familiar place after losing another nail-biter to the Chiefs: the offseason. This time the what ifs will be harder to swallow.
MVP of the week
Dan Campbell, head coach, Detroit Lions. Could Campbell bring about world peace? Maybe. After all, he has lifted the Lions from the depths of football hell. Jared Goff deserves a lot of credit for Detroit’s tense 31-23 win over Tampa to send the Lions to their first NFC Championship since 1991. Goff was smooth throughout. He was especially heroic when it mattered most, leading the Lions on an 89-yard drive in the fourth quarter that culminated in an absolute dime to Amon St Brown in the endzone. Lions OC Ben Johnson dialed up one heck of a game and made necessary adjustments. The offensive line was still stellar despite injuries.
But pour one out for Campbell who has completely flipped the culture in Detroit after the team started out 1-6 in 2022. At that point, few uttered his name without an eyeroll thanks to his infamous kneecap remarks. But Campbell has quickly become a shrewd coach, beloved by his players. “He’s the best leader I’ve ever been around by far. Just authentically loves his guys. Same guy every single day,” said center Frank Ragnow after Sunday’s win. Campbell’s unflinching belief in his players was on full display throughout the divisional win. What a time to be a Lions fan.
Video of the week
Purdy and Jauan Jennings coming up clutch on 3rd down
— NFL (@NFL) January 21, 2024
📺: #GBvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/yDUx5ZutVa pic.twitter.com/ZbXD1VkZRM
This third-down completion wasn’t the play that won the game for the 49ers. That would arguably be Dre Greenlaw’s game-clinching interception on an out of character errant pass by Jordan Love. But this throw by Brock Purdy to Jauan Jennings in the fourth quarter with San Francisco trailing 21-17 was teeming with heart and guts. Purdy was having a tough day in the rain, full of off target throws that gave Purdy’s critics life. Deebo Samuel had been sidelined with a shoulder injury, but Jennings stepped in big time and wowed the masses with this catch in traffic. He also infused his quarterback with confidence, which would soon culminate in Purdy finally finding his rhythm at the perfect time. Purdy led a methodical, balanced drive that Christian McCaffrey capped off with a six-yard go-ahead touchdown. It was a lead the Niners would not relinquish.
Stat of the week
Lamar Jackson’s release time against the blitz in the first-half against the Houston Texans: 3.51 seconds. Jackson’s release time against the blitz in the second half: 2.25 seconds.
Lamar Jackson faced a career-high 75.0% blitz rate, completing 13 of 18 passes against the blitz for 120 yards & 2 TD.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 21, 2024
Jackson got rid of the ball more than a second quicker vs the blitz in the 2nd half (2.25 seconds) compared to the first half (3.51).#HOUvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/j49zz4jjEr
Jackson was fuming as the Baltimore Ravens headed into the locker room at halftime knotted up 10-10 against the Texans, a team many believed them would steamroll. Baltimore had just punted after their third three-and-out of the half, and they had few answers to the Texans’ pressure, which brought three sacks. Numerous deep balls were unsuccessful, and the running game had no juice. Then Jackson spoke to his team at the half, uttering all types of profanity that he would later say could not be repeated in polite company. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken adjusted and the heavens finally opened for Baltimore. Jackson came out of the half with a quicker release, higher-percentage passes and capped off an eight-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown scramble. From there, the quick-release, short pass Ravens had soul-crushing drives of 13 and 14 plays, both resulting in touchdowns. They coasted to a 34-10 win and will host the AFC championship game.
Elsewhere around the league
-- Despite their loss to the 49ers, Green Bay should head into the offseason with the comfort of knowing they are set up to be postseason stalwarts for years to come. They sport a young, emerging team led by a quarterback in Love who has quickly become a star and a head coach who can match wits with the league’s best. But Matt LaFleur will probably spend some time thinking about a couple of faulty spots by officials. Most notably was a Packers tush push on fourth and one deep in 49ers territory that appeared to get Green Bay a first down but was ruled short. LaFleur opted not to challenge though even though he was fuming. It was only the second quarter and maybe too close to overturn but it’s a non-challenge he may reconsider in hindsight. LaFleur was later forced to burn a challenge on a bad spot that was much clearer. The call was overturned almost immediately.
-- Like the Packers, the Texans are well set. They have an NFL team’s two most important ingredients: a star quarterback and a savvy head coach. They have $70m in cap space, eight draft picks, including No 23 overall from the Deshaun Watson trade with Cleveland, a quarterback on a rookie deal, and they play in one of the league’s weakest divisions.
-- Sure, Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions against the Lions (though one was tipped and should have been knocked down by Mike Evans). But he also made several incredible throws and showcased his nerves of steel while leading Tampa to a late touchdown when Detroit looked to be pulling away. Much respect to Mayfield who proved doubters wrong this season. It’s not easy stepping in for a Hall of Fame quarterback, nor is it simple to reach the divisional round. Mayfield is now due to be a free agent. Mayfield says he wants to stay in Tampa, and his head coach, Todd Bowles is a fan too. “Baker had a hell of a year. We love him. The guys love him. And we’ll see what the future holds,” Bowles said after Sunday’s loss.
-- Rumors pegging Bill Belichick to the Atlanta Falcons continue to swirl. Belichick had a second interview with Falcons owner Arthur Blank before the weekend, and CBS’s Jonathan Jones reports that Blank “desperately” wants Belichick. But the Falcons are also slated to meet with Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel in person this week and appear to be far from decided. The 71-year-old Belichick has not interviewed elsewhere, at least nowhere that has been made public. Whether he has declined other interviews or has simply not been asked is a mystery. Under Blank, the Falcons have never hired a head coach with previous head coaching experience.
Harbaugh has been linked to the Los Angeles Chargers and that union may ultimately come to fruition, but they are interviewing several other candidates including Vrabel, former Stanford head coach David Shaw, and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Meanwhile, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is interviewing for the second time with the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, and Falcons. The key word for most involved in this coach hiring cycle has been “thorough”.
