Patrick Mahomes is the monster at the end of the book.
The Chiefs QB felt inevitable again as he crushed the hearts of Buffalo.
Sometimes it’s more fun to be the villain.
A great deal was made about Patrick Mahomes playing in his first playoff road game heading into Sunday night’s divisional round matchup against the Bills (a team he’d helped oust two of the last three seasons). Talking heads wondered aloud about whether the Chiefs could communicate and execute in such a hostile environment. Buffalo’s Pro Bowl LT Dion Dawkins wished Mahomes good luck dealing with a full Buffalo crowd. The Bills were actually favored and still a popular bet. And all of it seemed safer to do in a year where the Chiefs offense hasn’t been as deadly as previous seasons.
Apparently the world forgot that Patrick Mahomes is a soul crusher who smiles at you. A competitive, ahem, person who looks for the smallest of perceived slights to find motivation to stomp so-called doubters. Someone who actually enjoys being the villain in a stadium. And on Sunday night, he did it again, snatching the soul right out of Buffalo fans and then tagging Dawkins in a post of his own following the game with those same two words: Good luck.
Buffalo, for the third time in four years, was forced to face the horrifying (for them) reality that the monster under the bed is real. And he’s as inevitable as ever.
It was clear from the very first drive that all the talk about a road environment was going to end up being a lot of nothing. You see, monsters aren’t afraid of a little noise. Or a little pressure.
This was the second offensive snap of the game for the Chiefs. After Buffalo marched down the field and collected a field goal on their opening possession (with Josh Allen making some great plays of his own), Kansas City was stuffed at the line on their first play. This led to 2nd and 9 in front of an absolutely frenzied crowd that was begging for their defense to finally shut down Mahomes when it counts. And for just a moment, it seemed like that might happen, with quick pressure from Greg Rousseau getting home and Mahomes seemingly wrapped up for a sack.
But it wasn’t enough. It never has been for the Bills, not when it actually matters. Mahomes spun free, kept his wits about him despite the cold, noise, and gravity of the moment, and found Rashee Rice for a big gain. A moment that seemed like it was going to belong to Buffalo was snatched away, and one play later (a 15-yard completion to Travis Kelce), Kansas City was in field goal range and the air suddenly felt tense in Orchard Park. Because they knew, whether they wanted to admit it or not, that they were afraid.