If you were sitting in Highmark Stadium on November 17, 2024, you didn’t just hear the noise. You felt it in your teeth. 71,112 people—the biggest crowd in Orchard Park in nearly two decades—screaming as Josh Allen tucked the ball and turned into a human wrecking ball. When he lowered his shoulder, bounced off two Chiefs defenders, and stumbled into the end zone on that 26-yard fourth-down run, it wasn't just a touchdown. It was a statement. It ended the Chiefs' 15-game winning streak. It killed their bid for a perfect season. Honestly, it felt like the world shifted for a second.
But here’s the thing about KC vs Bills 2024: we’ve seen this movie before, and the ending usually changes depending on the month.
People love to talk about this as the "new Brady vs. Manning." And sure, that’s an easy sell. But it’s actually more chaotic than that. In the regular season, Buffalo has basically owned Kansas City lately. In fact, after that 30-21 win in November, Josh Allen moved to 4-1 against Mahomes in their last five regular-season meetings. But then January rolls around, and suddenly the script flips.
The January Heartbreak and the November Revenge
To understand the 2024 chapter of this rivalry, you have to look at the two distinct versions of it. We actually got two "KC vs Bills 2024" matchups—one in the playoffs (technically the 2023 season) and one in the regular season.
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The January 21, 2024, Divisional Round game was a gut-punch for Buffalo. It was the first time Mahomes had to travel to Buffalo for a playoff game. The "wide right" ghosts returned when Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal with less than two minutes left. Kansas City escaped 27-24. That loss was brutal because it felt like the Bills had everything lined up. They had the home field. They had the momentum. They still lost.
Then came November.
The Chiefs arrived in Buffalo 9-0. They looked invincible, even when they weren't playing well. They were winning games on blocked field goals and sheer luck. But the Bills defense, led by linebacker Terrel Bernard, finally figured out how to keep Mahomes in a cage. They held the Chiefs to a season-low 259 total yards.
Why the November win felt different
- The Aggression: Sean McDermott usually plays it safe. Not this time. Going for it on 4th-and-2 instead of taking a field goal to go up five? That’s a "we’re not afraid of you" move.
- The Supporting Cast: Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir stepped up when Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid were out. Samuel’s 12-yard TD catch in the fourth was a clinic in finding the soft spot in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
- The Pressure: Buffalo’s pass rush actually got home. They sacked Mahomes twice and hit him seven times. Usually, Mahomes just dances away. This time, he looked... well, human.
Mahomes vs. Allen: By the Numbers
Looking at the stats for KC vs Bills 2024, the gap between these two is razor-thin, but the way they get there is totally different.
In the November game, Mahomes went 23-of-33 for 196 yards. He threw three touchdowns but also two massive interceptions. One on the very first drive, and one to end the game. That’s not the Mahomes we’re used to seeing in "clutch" mode.
On the other side, Josh Allen was basically a one-man army. He threw for 262 yards and ran for 55. His 58th career rushing touchdown moved him past O.J. Simpson for second in Bills history. He’s now just seven behind Thurman Thomas. Think about that—a quarterback is about to hold the franchise record for rushing touchdowns. It’s insane.
The Head-to-Head Reality
| Stat | Josh Allen (Reg. Season) | Patrick Mahomes (Reg. Season) |
|---|---|---|
| Record (Last 5) | 4-1 | 1-4 |
| Passing TDs | 10 | 10 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 7 |
| Rushing TDs | 3 | 0 |
Honestly, if you only watched them play each other in October or November, you'd think Allen was the clear superior. He has fewer turnovers and more total production. But the post-season stats tell the real story. In the playoffs, Mahomes is 4-0 against Allen. He hasn't thrown a single interception in those four playoff games. That is the hurdle the Bills just can't seem to clear.
What Most Fans Miss About the Scheme
We talk about the QBs so much that we forget the chess match between Andy Reid and Sean McDermott. In the 2024 November game, the Bills did something smart: they forced Mahomes to be patient.
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They took away the deep ball to Xavier Worthy and made Mahomes throw short to Noah Gray (who actually had two TDs). They dared the Chiefs to run the ball, and while Kareem Hunt was okay, he wasn't explosive.
The Chiefs' defense is usually their backbone, but they struggled with Buffalo's "power slot" looks. Khalil Shakir is a nightmare to cover because he’s too fast for linebackers and too strong for smaller corners. He caught 8 passes for 70 yards in that November win, basically keeping the chains moving every time the Bills needed a first down.
Is This Still the Best Rivalry in Football?
Kinda, yeah. Even with the Bengals and Ravens in the mix, there’s something special about KC vs Bills 2024. It’s the contrast. You have the Chiefs, who are the polished, "find a way to win" dynasty. Then you have the Bills, who are the "everything on the line, heart on the sleeve" challengers.
One thing people get wrong is thinking the Bills' regular-season wins don't matter because of the playoff losses. That's a bad take. These wins decide home-field advantage. If the Bills hadn't won in November, the path to the Super Bowl would almost certainly go through Arrowhead Stadium. By winning, they kept themselves in the hunt for the #1 seed.
Actionable Insights for the Next Matchup
If you're betting or just analyzing the next time these two face off, here is what actually matters:
- Watch the Injury Report for the O-Line: In November, the Bills were missing RT Spencer Brown, and Ryan Van Demark had to step in for his first start. He held up, but against a healthy Chris Jones, that's usually a recipe for disaster.
- The "Middle of the Field" Metric: The Bills won in 2024 because they owned the middle of the field on defense. If the Chiefs can't get Travis Kelce or their tight ends involved in the seam, their offense stalls.
- The Fourth Quarter Turnover: In almost every game since 2020, the team that commits a turnover in the final eight minutes loses. It sounds simple, but Mahomes' interception to Terrel Bernard was the nail in the coffin in November.
The KC vs Bills 2024 saga proved that the gap is closing, but the real test is whether Buffalo can carry that November "bully ball" energy into a cold January night when the season is actually on the line.
For now, Buffalo fans can at least enjoy the fact that they were the ones to finally "solve" the 2024 Chiefs and prove that the defending champs aren't invincible. Keep an eye on the playoff seeding—if these two meet again, the venue might be the only thing that decides the winner.