ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – After watching quarterback Josh Allen bounce off two Kansas City Chiefs defenders before crossing the goal line on a 26-yard run, Bills receiver Khalil Shakir joined the rest of the packed Buffalo stadium by screaming at the top of his lungs.

Allen’s touchdown on fourth-and-2 with 2:17 left sealed Buffalo’s 30-21 victory, kept the Bills (9-2) in contention for the AFC’s top seed and spoiled the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs’ bid for a perfect season.

“When Josh leaves, all I’m looking at is, ‘Wow, he’s different,’” Shakir said. “When he left today I just started screaming. I couldn’t stop screaming. My mind was completely empty.”

Bills fans chimed in by shouting “MVP! MVP!” as they watched the replay of their quarterback bursting up the middle to secure a victory in the final game against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs (9-1), who have stopped Buffalo’s playoff runs in three of the past four seasons ended.

Allen evened his record to 4-4 (including playoffs) against the Chiefs. He said he knew what was at stake when coach Sean McDermott opted to go for it on fourth down rather than settle for a field goal.

“I appreciated the coach for his confidence,” said Allen, who raised the right hash mark, was shrugged off by linebacker Nick Bolton and had enough momentum to reach the end zone while being wrapped up by safety Bryan Cook.

“Anytime you give the ball back to Pat (Mahomes), that foul, down six with the game on the line, I like their chances in that situation,” Allen added. “So I want six or seven (points) to try to make it a two-point game.”

Buffalo’s defense ended Kansas City’s desperate final drive when linebacker Terrel Bernard intercepted Mahomes.

James Cook rushed for two touchdowns in the first half and Allen threw a 12-yard TD pass to Curtis Samuel early in the fourth quarter. The Bills never relinquished the lead after taking a 16-14 lead on Tyler Bass’ 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

The Chiefs were the NFL’s last undefeated team and ultimately ran out of ways to pull off one-score wins and overcome second-half deficits. The Chiefs had won 15 in a row, including the playoffs, since losing 20-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders on December 17, 2023.

“The undefeated thing was cool. But that is not our ultimate goal. So we will continue to build towards that,” Mahomes said.

“That’s a good football team. Nothing to hang your head on if you lose to them,” he added. “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 ultimately we can be a better football team.”

There’s a chance these teams will meet again in the playoffs, where the Chiefs have dominated the rivalry. While Buffalo has won four straight regular-season meetings dating back to 2021, the Chiefs have won three consecutive playoff games, including a 27-24 victory over Buffalo in the divisional round in January.

“It’s a great game to learn from for some of our young guys. Two good teams playing against each other, the margin between winning and losing is small,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “We can all learn from it and take something from it to make us better along the way. And we will do that.”

Mahomes finished 23 of 33 for 196 yards with three touchdown passes — two to Noah Gray and another to Xavier Worthy — and two interceptions.

The Chiefs had shown determination by winning their first nine games by a total of 58 points, four of which were decided in the final game. That included a 16-14 win over Denver last week, in which Leo Chenal blocked Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

This time there were no late dramas from a Chiefs offense that finished with a season-low 259 yards.

The Bills have won six straight and moved closer to their fifth straight AFC East title. Buffalo is 9-2 or better in eleven games for the sixth time in team history and the first since 1992.

“No explanation,” McDermott said of the significance of the win. “This is not the finish line.”

The Bills will get a chance to rest and heal during their bye week. Amari Cooper made two catches for 58 yards while playing with a sore left wrist, and wide receiver Keon Coleman (right wrist) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) were sidelined with injuries.

Allen played through a sore throwing hand, which was examined on the sideline during the game. He finished 27 of 40 for 262 yards while TD passing and rushing and an interception.

The rushing touchdown was the 58th of Allen’s career, which puts him second on the Bills list, one ahead of OJ Simpson and seven behind Thurman Thomas. Allen’s two-touchdown performance also increased his total to 244, tying Jim Kelly for first in team history.

Next

Chiefs: Next Sunday at Carolina.

Bills: After a bye, host San Francisco on December 1.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl