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Much was made of Sunday being the Bills' best chance to earn a playoff victory over Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs.For the first time in the Mahomes-Josh Allen rivalry, Buffalo was hosting the game. The Bills also had what appeared to be a more functional offense than the Chiefs, who had endured i sues on that side of the ball for most of the 2023 NFL season.But once again, Mahomes' squad managed to get the best of Allen's. The Bills had a chance to mount a game-tying or game-winning drive late, but a few ill-advised throws by Allen and a mi sed field goal by Tyler Ba s gave the Chiefs a 27-24 victory.Mahomes put together one of his best performances of the season in the victory. His numbers may not jump off the page, but he was rock-solid and efficient while logging his best pa ser rating of the season. He managed to post these stats despite playing his first true playoff road game, and he pa sed the crowd-noise test at Highmark Stadium with flying colors.Here's what to know about Mahomes' performance in the Chiefs' latest playoff victory over the Bills.MORE: Patrick Mahomes stats vs. BillsThe Chiefs ran a balanced offense against the Bills, logging 24 rushing attempts compared to 23 pa ses in a game that Buffalo dominated the time of po se sion.Mahomes made the most of his somewhat sparing opportunities. He completed 17- DeAndre Jordan Jersey of-23 pa ses for 215 yards and two touchdowns while posting a season-high pa ser rating of 131.6. He didn't turn the ball over and also wasn't sacked.Mahomes routinely hit open receivers and showed a penchant for targeting the Bills' banged-up linebackers throughout the contest. That's part of the reason that Travis Kelce finished the day with five catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high six targets.Mahomes to Kelce. Bread and butter. Chiefs take the lead! : on CBS: Stream on NFL (@NFL) That said, Mahomes also found succe s in throwing the deep ball, something that hasn't happened often during the 2023 season. He hit the much-maligned Marquez Valdes-Scantling for gains of 30 and 32 yards, using pinpoint accuracy to drop the ball to the 6-4 speedster amid tight coverage.MVS with the hands to open the 2nd half : on CBS: Stream on NFL (@NFL) Bring the blitz and Mahomes will make you pay.: on CBS: Stream on NFL (@NFL) As accurate as Mahomes was through the air, he was also opportunistic with his legs. He finished the day with six carries for 19 yards, but it's worth noting that four of his credited carries were kneel-downs to run out the clock in the first and second halves.MORE:So, while Mahomes didn't run often, he did have a nifty 24-yard scramble on the Chiefs' first drive of the third quarter. That helped to keep the Bills' beleaguered defense off balance and set the stage for the team's second go-ahead touchdown of the game.Got em.: on CBS: Stream on NFL (@NFL) Mahomes may not have reached the 300-yard and three-touchdown threshold that he did in each of his previous playoff meetings with the Bills, but he certainly was a driving force behind the team's succe s on Sunday.Now, he will be asked to deliver similar results in the AFC Championship game against the Ravens, who sport the NFL's best defense.Win or lose, Mahomes has gotten the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game for the sixth time in his six seasons as a starter. That's put him and the Chiefs two shy of Tom Brady and the Patriots' from 2011 to '18. Landry Shamet Jersey |
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