Copyright Athlon Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills aiming to extend their winning streak, but their red-zone inefficiency proved costly in a 28–21 defeat. Patrick Mahomes struggled, completing just 15 of 34 passes for 250 yards and an interception, his lowest completion rate in a regular-season game. Kansas City failed to convert several short-yardage opportunities, including a pivotal goal-line stand late in the first half that ended with a field goal instead of a touchdown. Meanwhile, Josh Allen led Buffalo with a near-flawless performance, completing 23 of 26 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown while adding two rushing scores. The Bills capitalized on all three red-zone trips, snapping Kansas City’s three-game win streak and reigniting discussion about Mahomes’ approach near the goal line. While Kansas City’s struggles were evident on the field, sports commentator Bill Simmons took the debate further on an episode of his podcast, praising Allen for Sunday’s performance. “I do think watching that confirms something I’ve been saying all year is I just think Josh is slightly better than Mahomes for whatever reason right now,” Simmons said. “And I think the difference is the inside-the-five-yard line stuff and the fourth-and-short stuff.” While Simmons lauded Allen’s ability to push through defenders in short-yardage plays, he contrasted it with Mahomes’ lack of quarterback sneaks, calling attention to what he believes is a significant flaw in Mahomes’ game. “They’ve never QB sneaked him since he got hurt that time,” Simmons said. “You can actually do a goal-line stand against them because you never have to worry about the QB sneak. They’re always trying to cheat around it or do these little quick outs.” Finishing the night with a 44.1% completion rate, it marked the first time in Mahomes’ nine-year career that he completed fewer than 50% of his passes. He also failed to throw a touchdown during the loss, just the tenth time this has happened in his career. Ironically, it was the most efficient outing of Allen’s career (88.5%). While the win was impressive for Allen, his record against Mahomes has continued to be his kryptonite when it matters the most. With the latest victory, Allen now holds a 5-1 record over Mahomes in head-to-head matchups during the regular season. However, Mahomes has been flawless against Allen in the postseason, winning all four playoff meetings to date, including last season’s AFC Championship game.
