ORCHARD PARK – Nearly four feet of snow has fallen on Highmark Stadium in the last week, but you would hardly notice it walking into the Buffalo Bills' home stadium on Sunday afternoon.
It's ready for the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs thanks to another heroic effort by the citizens of Western New York who put in long, hard hours Friday and Saturday to shovel the venue.
This is the matchup Bills fans have been waiting for – Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (and yes, his girlfriend you may have heard of, Taylor Swift) at Orchard Park in front of a sellout crowd.
Sign up for the Bills Blast newsletter Delivered straight to your inbox, additional billing analysis, insights, stats, quotes and team history from Sal Maiorana
After five straight trips to Kansas City (two in the playoffs), the Bills finally get the Chiefs' home opener with a trip to the AFC Championship Game in Baltimore. It's a game in which Sean McDermott, Josh Allen and the rest of the Bills know they can't just fail, because given the changing nature of the NFL, those chances never come.
We'll be updating this story throughout the day, so make sure to bookmark it and stay tuned.
Mecole Hardman touched the ball twice in the game. He fumbled both times. Isiah Pacheco opened the drive with a 29-yard run to the Bills' 3. Kansas City tried a gadget play and Hardman made a short reception and had the ball snatched away by Jordan Poyer as he went down. The ball landed in the end zone. The play was initially voided by contact on the Bills' 1st down. Buffalo challenged the play and it turned into a fumble into the end zone for a touchback.
Buffalo attempted a fake punt and couldn't convert it. In the fourth and fifth games, the Chiefs only had ten players on the field. The Bills sent a direct snap to Damar Hamlin, who was stopped after 2 yards. The Chiefs take over from the Bills at 30th place.
Kansas City is back in the lead. There were three consecutive 75-yard touchdown drives to start the second half. Isiah Pacheco ran hard for 12 yards to get near midfield. Two plays later, Buffalo blitzed and Patrick Mahomes completed deep over the middle to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 32 yards to the Bills' 16 yards. Kansas City got first-and-goal after an 8-yard pass from Mahomes to Rashee Rice. Pacheco followed with a 4-yard touchdown run.
Third-and-goal from the 13-yard line. No problem. Josh Allen dodged the pressure and fired a touchdown pass to Khalil SHakir, who pulled both feeds into the front corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
The Bills offensive line is wearing down the Chiefs. Buffalo leaned on the run and chewed up the clock, and Ty Johnson broke loose for a 16-yard run for first-and-goal from the Chiefs' 5th line. Johnson lost two yards and the Bills were asked to delay the game on the touchdown play. Buffalo gained 75 yards on 15 plays, trailing by 8 minutes and 25 seconds.
That's three lead changes in 6 minutes and 45 seconds. Kansas City managed six plays and 75 yards for a touchdown early in the second half. Patrick Mahomes completed to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 30 yards and two plays later Mahomes completed 24 yards. Isiah Pacheco used a 14-yard catch-and-run to set up first-and-goal in the 3rd minute. Mahomes capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Kelce, who dove for the pylon to shoot.
The Bills dominated in yards, first downs and time of possession and led at halftime. Josh Allen has completed 14 of 19 passes for 111 yards and has 51 yards rushing and two touchdowns on eight carries. Patrick Mahomes is 9 of 13 for 114 yards and a touchdown and Travis Kelce has three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Isaiah Pacheco, but a holding penalty brought the Chiefs back to the 25 on the final drive of the half. Mahomes took a knee on the next play to end the half.
The Chiefs had silenced Highmark Stadium with Travis Kelce's touchdown, and the Bills had to respond, especially after Kansas City got the kickoff in the second half. The Bills did it.
Josh Allen hit a big pass to Stefon Diggs for 15 yards, converted a second-and-11 to get the drive rolling, then launched an 18-yard scramble up the middle that brought the ball to the 12.
Allen then completed a 5-yard pass to Khalil Shakir to convert a third-and-2, and that set up Allen's two-yard TD run that gave the Bills a 17-13 lead.
The Chiefs have 26 seconds left in the half, so the half isn't over yet.
This was a putrid defensive series for the Bills, and somehow Travis Kelce was left all alone to catch a 22-yard touchdown.
It's just amazing how this could happen, how no one would think to cover the best player Patrick Mahomes can throw to him. But yeah, it happened again, as it always seems to happen in the postseason when these teams meet.
Now the Chiefs have a 13-10 lead and Buffalo's defense hasn't stopped Kansas City's offense yet.
Kansas City starting safety Mike Edwards is out for the rest of the game with a concussion. Edwards was injured on the second play.
The Chiefs were on their way to what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown when they reached the Bills' 10-yard line, but here Patrick Mahomes outdueled Travis Kelce on first down and then Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the other side.
Both players were open for touchdowns. Instead, the Chiefs' 10-play, 64-yard drive ended with another Harris Butker field goal, giving the Bills a 10-6 lead.
Bills are in the lead again
And so it continues. Josh Allen and the Bills put together another strong drive, mixing run and pass and getting positive results on almost every play, and this time it ended in a touchdown when Allen hit a five-yard keeper at left end.
The key for the Bills so far has been their ability to run the ball. They already have 94 yards rushing, including 38 from James Cook, who was big on this drive.
The bosses have a quick answer
Patrick Mahomes wasted no time answering the Bills' first drive with a drive of his own, and the game was tied at 3-3 after Harrison Butker's 47-yard field goal.
The Bills immediately made a mistake when Greg Rousseau had Mahomes in his hands for a sack but couldn't complete it, leading to a 26-yard pass to Rashee Rice. And then Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 14 yards on the next play and the Chiefs rolled.
But the Bills defense recovered and stopped the drive right there when Dane Jackson deflected a third-down pass.
After some early trouble on their first possession of the night, the Bills marched 60 yards in 14 plays to Tyler Bass' 27-yard field goal.
After a Stefon Diggs fumble, a Dalton Kincaid penalty and an incomplete pass, the Bills faced third-and-17, but Josh Allen scrambled out of the pocket and then played laterally to Ty Johnson for a 16-yard gain. Then Allen converted fourth-and-1 and from there Allen completed a few key passes, none of which were bigger than a 15-yard toss to Dalton Kincaid on a third-and-5.
The pop icon entered Highmark Stadium and will watch the Bills take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round on Sunday.
Swift got out of a white Chevrolet Suburban with California license plates around 5 p.m. Dozens of fans gathered in the snow to catch a glimpse of the star. She was joined by Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany Mahomes.
The second-year linebacker has been the Bills' best defensive player this season, as he led the team with 143 tackles in the regular season and totaled seven takeaways in the postseason. However, he suffered a sprained ankle against the Steelers, didn't practice all week and was among the Bills' inactives, which were just announced.
Luckily for the Bills, Tyrel Dodson will return to the lineup after missing the game in Pittsburgh, and he will most likely take Bernard's expressive MLB spot. Either rookie Dorian Williams or veteran AJ Klein will start at outside linebacker.
The Bills are also without wide receiver Gabe Davis, cornerback Christian Benford, linebacker Baylon Spector and safety Taylor Rapp, all of whom sat out Friday. The other inactives are defensive tackle Poona Ford and offensive lineman Alec Anderson.
For the Chiefs, wide receiver Kadarius Toney, defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and offensive lineman Wanya Morris are the three biggest names on their inactive list.
The Bills enter this game with a problematic injury situation, but the player's availability – which was still uncertain on Saturday – is helping to ease the situation.
Martin suffered a hamstring injury last week against Pittsburgh, so the Bills added former player Matt Haack to their practice squad in case Martin is unable to play. But Martin informed McDermott that he was good to go, and that helped the Bills with their roster decisions.
There are only two practice squad raises per game, and the Bills were lucky they didn't have to use one on Haack because that would have meant only one of wide receiver Andy Isabella and linebacker AJ Klein would have been available for the game.
Now Isabella is ready to give the Bills five receivers with Gabe Davis out, and Klein can play for Terrel Bernard, who is expected to be inactive with an ankle injury.
Sal Maiorana: Chiefs 24, Bills 23
The Bills' injury situation simply shocked me. If Buffalo had been healthier defensively, I would have been confident of a Bills win playing at home. But the absences of Bernard, Christian Benford and Taylor Rapp, as well as Rasul Douglas and Dodson, potentially hampered by their injuries, are problematic against future Hall of Fame players like Mahomes and Kelce and a Hall of Fame coach in Andy Reid.
Yes, the Chiefs' offense wasn't particularly scary, but let's remember: These are still the Chiefs, this is the postseason and they are still the proud defending champs. And while I fully expect Allen to play well, this Chiefs defense is great at every level. With their CBs Sneed and McDuffie, they can shut down any WR, coupled with a dynamic pass rush led by Chris Jones and George Karlaftis.
In the end I think it will be close throughout, a turnover or a late field goal could be the deciding factor – and in that scenario I trust KC's Harrison Butker over Buffalo's Tyler Bass – and the Chiefs will do what they always do seem to be doing well in the postseason and finding a way, even if it's their first time on the road in the Mahomes era.
● Date: Sunday, January 21st
● Time: 6:30 in the evening
● Location: Highmark Stadium
● Betting line (as of Thursday morning): Bills -3
● About under: 45.5
● Money line: Bills minus 145 (bet $145 to win $100) and Chiefs plus 125 (bet $100 to win $125).
Who announces the Bills vs. Chiefs game?
● Game by game: Jim Nantz
● analyst: Tony Romo
● Side reporter: Tracy Wolfson
● Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally on the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area) and WBNG (Binghamton area).
● Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and subscribe to NFL+, the league's own streaming service. However, you can't cast the games to your TV, you'll have to watch them on your phone or tablet.
● TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs. Chiefs game
You can listen to SiriusXM Satellite Radio on Sirius Channel 81 and The network includes:
- Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
- Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
- Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
- Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
- Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
- Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
- Newark (WACK 1420 p.m.)
- Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
- Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
- Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
- Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Buffalo Bills 2023 schedule
- Mon. September. 11, Jets 22, Bills 16 (OT)
- Sun. September 17th, Bills 38, Raiders 10
- Sun. September 24, Bills 37, Commanders 3
- Sun. Oct. 1, Bills 48, Dolphins 20
- Sun. Oct. 8, Jaguars 25, Bills 20
- Sun. Oct. 15, Bills 14, Giants 9
- Sun. Oct. 22, Patriots 29, Bills 25
- Thurs. Oct. 26, Bills 24, Buccaneers 18
- Sun. November 5, Bengals 24, Bills 18
- Mon. Nov. 13, Broncos 24, Bills 22
- Sun. November 19, Bills 32, Jets 6
- Sun. November 26, Eagles 37, Bills 34 (OT)
- Sun. December 3rd, bye week
- Sun. December 10, Bills 20, Chiefs 17
- Sun. December 17, Bills 31, Cowboys 10
- Sat Dec 23, Bills 24, Chargers 22
- Sun. December 31, Bills 27, Patriots 21
- Sun. January 7, Bills 21, Dolphins 14
- Mon. Jan. 15, Bills 31, Steelers 17
- Sun. Jan. 21, vs. Chiefs, 6:30 p.m
Sal Maiorana can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's Bills Blast newsletter, published twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast