ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer undefeated, but that didn’t seem to bother them much, especially not quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“The undefeated thing was cool,” Mahomes said after the Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season 30-21 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. “But that is not our ultimate goal.”

The Chiefs won their first nine games, but were hardly dominant along the way. Seven of those wins were by one score, and four were not settled until the final play of the match.

The loss to the Bills was different and not just in the outcome. The Bills clearly outplayed the Chiefs, outgaining them by over 100 yards. The Chiefs led only twice in the game, both times in the first half. But each lead was brief and by just one point.

Mahomes called the loss “fuel” for the rest of the Chiefs’ season.

“They’re a good football team, so there’s nothing to hang your head about,” Mahomes said. “We feel like we can play better, so we’re going to get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can ultimately become a better football team.

“I hope (losing) is an advantage. I’m not going to say that I or we are relaxed, but at the same time I feel like at the end of the game we’ll just come away with these wins. I think it will push us to have more urgency, especially at the beginning of football games, especially with the offense, and that comes from me and turning the ball over on the first drive. That’s something you can’t do in big games like this.”

The Chiefs had won 15 straight games since last season, including the playoffs. Their last loss came on Christmas of last season, when they were defeated by the Las Vegas Raiders. Mahomes said he didn’t see any similarities with Sunday’s loss, but hoped this loss would also spark a new, long winning streak.

“(The Bills are) a very good football team,” he said. “You need your best football to beat great football teams, and we didn’t play our best football today and they went out there to beat us. That’s how it works in the NFL and so with all due respect to them. that we’ll probably see (in the playoffs).”

Mahomes was outplayed by Josh Allen, his Buffalo counterpart. Cornerback Trent McDuffie said at times the Chiefs defended Allen the way they intended and still couldn’t stop him from taking action.

“He’s one of those guys that no matter what happens, he can make his team good,” McDuffie said.

Most notable among these plays was Allen’s 26-yard touchdown run late in the game, which secured the victory. A fourth down stop on that play would have given the Chiefs two minutes to attempt a game-winning field goal.

“That was a great football play,” Mahomes said. “When the play isn’t there, he does a great job of making plays happen, and that’s what he did on that last play.”