Chiefs find defense at right time to knock out Bills on road

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The game lived up to its billing.

In the seventh meeting between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs this decade, it was the visiting Chiefs who prevailed on Sunday, winning a 27-24 thriller in the AFC divisional round from frigid western New York. Kansas City, playing its first road playoff game of the Patrick Mahomes era, sealed it after Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right that would have tied the score with under two minutes to play.

Kansas City returns to its familiar place in the AFC Championship Game, where Andy Reid's squad will meet the Ravens at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium next Sunday.

Here are the biggest takeaways from both teams in the contest.

Kansas City Chiefs

This season's AFC Championship Game won't be another edition of the Arrowhead Invitational, but it will include the Chiefs.

The Chiefs advanced to a sixth straight conference title game after another in their collection of epic playoff victories. The divisional round lead changed hands five times before Kansas City held off the Bills on their final drive.

The Chiefs will play the Ravens next Sunday in the conference title game. The game will be held in Baltimore after the previous five AFC Championship Games were staged at Arrowhead Stadium.

Eye-popping NextGen stat: In an indication of how the Chiefs were being handled by the Bills when Buffalo ran the ball, the Bills through three quarters averaged 3.9 yards before contact per rush. The Bills were hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on just three of 31 rushing attempts to that point. The Chiefs allowed 182 rushing yards, one reason they were at big deficits in time of possession and number of plays run.

Promising trend: The Chiefs were finally able to finish some drives. Their first two scores on Sunday came on field goals. To that point, 13 of their previous 16 scoring drives had resulted in field goals; only three ended in touchdowns. But they were able to finish a drive late in the first half and another early in the third quarter with touchdowns, both on passes from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. The Chiefs then punched in another drive early in the fourth period on Isiah Pacheco's four-yard scoring run.

QB breakdown: Mahomes had another monumental game against the Bills in the playoffs. Buffalo opted to play coverage, as opposed to putting pressure on Mahomes, and he took advantage of that strategy. Mahomes was able to get some big plays down the field, and he finished 17-of-23 passing for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. -- Adam Teicher

Buffalo Bills

The ball was in Josh Allen's hands to put together a late touchdown drive to give the Bills the lead and take time off the clock.

Instead, they got zero points out of a 16-play, 54-yard drive when Tyler Bass' 44-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right following two straight Allen incompletions, handing the ball back to Kansas City with 1:43 left on the clock that it would wind down for a three-point victory. When Buffalo's offense needed a drive more than ever, they were unable to get it. After holding a 17-13 lead, the Bills only scored once in the second half, and Buffalo's defense struggled to stop the Chiefs.

The Bills couldn't get beyond the hurdle that has been Kansas City in the playoffs, falling to 0-3 in the postseason with Mahomes facing Allen at quarterback. The loss ends a six-game winning streak and sends the Bills into the offseason with big questions to answer after losing in the divisional round for a third straight campaign.