Josh Allen did it again. Well, at least in the regular season.
If you missed the latest installment of the NFL's most electric rivalry, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 28-21 on November 2, 2025. It was a classic Highmark Stadium afternoon—cold, loud, and tense. For those tracking the chiefs bills game score, this result adds another layer to the weirdest paradox in modern football: Buffalo owns the calendar, but Kansas City owns the trophy case.
Honestly, watching these two teams is like watching a 15-round heavyweight fight where neither guy knows how to stay down. One minute Patrick Mahomes is pulling a "how did he do that?" sidearm throw out of his pocket, and the next, Allen is leaping over a linebacker like he’s playing a different sport entirely.
The Breakdown: How Buffalo Clinched the 28-21 Win
The final score doesn't quite capture how much of a grind this was.
Buffalo came out swinging. Allen was nearly perfect, finishing the day 23-of-26 for 273 yards. That’s an 88.5% completion rate, a new franchise record for the Bills. He didn’t just dink and dive; he looked comfortable against Steve Spagnuolo’s blitz. Usually, Spags finds a way to confuse even the greats, but Allen went 8-for-8 against the blitz in this matchup. Basically, the pressure didn't bother him.
- Key Stat: Josh Allen had 3 total touchdowns (1 passing, 2 rushing).
- The X-Factor: Dalton Kincaid. The tight end was everywhere, hauling in 6 catches for 101 yards and a score.
- Ground Game: James Cook kept the chains moving with 114 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Kansas City didn't just roll over. They never do. Mahomes converted a fourth-and-17 to Rashee Rice that felt like a glitch in the Matrix. It was the longest 4th-down conversion of his career. But the Chiefs lacked balance. Without Isiah Pacheco in the lineup, they struggled to run the ball, managing only 79 yards on the ground. When you're one-dimensional against a Buffalo defense that's hungry for a statement win, you're asking for trouble.
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The Regular Season vs. Playoff Curse
You can't talk about the chiefs bills game score without acknowledging the elephant in the room.
Buffalo has now won five of their last six regular-season meetings against Kansas City. If the Super Bowl was played in October, Josh Allen would have a hand full of rings. But the postseason is a different story. Just last January, in the AFC Championship game on January 26, 2025, the Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29 in a heartbreaker at Arrowhead.
It’s a pattern that drives Bills Mafia insane.
Mahomes is 4-0 against Allen in the playoffs. Allen is 5-1 against Mahomes in the regular season. It makes no sense, yet it happens every single time. The Chiefs seem to have this "extra gear" once the calendar hits January. They can look mortal in November—like they did in this 28-21 loss—and then turn into an unstoppable juggernaut two months later.
Why the Chiefs Struggled This Time
The Chiefs dropped to 5-4 after this loss, while the Bills climbed to 6-2.
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- Turnovers: Mahomes threw a late interception to rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston. It was a rare mistake where he tried to force a deep ball into double coverage under pressure.
- Time of Possession: Buffalo dominated the clock, holding the ball for nearly 35 minutes compared to KC's 25.
- Red Zone Efficiency: Buffalo was efficient. KC was not. Kareem Hunt managed to punch one in late, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Rivalry
People love to say "Mahomes is just better."
Is he? If you look at the raw stats from their head-to-head matchups, they are almost identical. In the regular season, Allen actually has the higher passer rating and more rushing touchdowns. The real difference isn't the quarterbacks—it's the defense. In their playoff losses to KC, the Bills' defense has allowed an average of nearly 35 points per game. In their regular-season wins, they hold the Chiefs to under 20.
Basically, the Bills' defense loses its script when the lights get brightest.
What’s Next for Both Teams?
As we move into 2026, the trajectory for these two teams remains the same.
The Bills are currently eyeing a top seed in the AFC, hoping that home-field advantage finally makes a difference in the postseason. For the Chiefs, this 2025/2026 season has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Travis Kelce, who recently spoke on the New Heights podcast about watching the playoffs from home for the first time in over a decade, noted how tight the league has become.
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"We don't have to get into how many one-score games I lost this year," Kelce joked. But the reality is that the Chiefs are 1-9 in one-score games this season. That’s a massive regression for a team that used to find ways to win those ugly matches.
Your Action Plan for Following This Rivalry:
- Watch the Injury Report: Keep a close eye on Isiah Pacheco’s return for the Chiefs. Their offense is fundamentally different when they have a violent runner to complement Mahomes' passing.
- Monitor the AFC Standings: If Buffalo can secure the #1 seed, it forces Mahomes to play a playoff game in Orchard Park. We saw what happened last time they met there in the regular season—Buffalo wins.
- Check the 2026 Draft Order: The Bills need another interior defensive lineman to stop the Mahomes scramble.
The next time these two meet, don't just look at the score. Look at the time of possession and how many times Allen is forced to run. That's where the game is actually won or lost.
Expect another classic. They always deliver.