NFL Analysis
1/26/25
7 min read
Josh Allen, Bills Can't Get Past Chiefs—Again —What's Next For Buffalo?
Inevitable. That’s what this season felt like for the Bills. No matter how well they played in the regular season, it was inevitable that they would have to face the Chiefs in Kansas City for the right to go to the Super Bowl. And despite another MVP-caliber season by Josh Allen, none of it matters unless they can beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. And for the third time in four years, that didn’t happen.
The Bills held a 22-21 lead over the Chiefs in the fourth quarter and had a chance to extend that lead with the ball in Kansas City’s territory. But a controversial fourth-down stop on a quarterback sneak stopped a drive that could have put the Chiefs up by eight or more. The Bills and Chiefs traded touchdowns on their next two drives before Kansas City took a three-point lead with just over two minutes left.
But this time, Allen had the ball in his hands with a chance to take the lead with potentially no time remaining. But the offense stalled at midfield, and they were unable to ever get the ball back. This feels like déjà vu for the Bills, who are so close to being the team of the 2020s but, instead, are still searching for their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1990s.
So, where do the Bills go from here? How do they get over the hump? These are uncomfortable questions they will be asking themselves all offseason.
Can The Buffalo Bills EVER Get Over The Hump?
The Bills are now 0-2 in AFC Championship games with Allen and are 0-4 in the postseason against the Chiefs. At this point, it’s not a talent issue for the Bills. They have the players to go toe-to-toe with the Chiefs, and that is why these games are decided by just a few points each time. Now, it’s a mental block for the Bills. They just have been unable to make that one *big* play to win the game. There were plenty of chances for the Bills on Sunday, including possessing the ball down by three with less than two minutes left. But they just weren’t able to make the one-swing play to win the game.
One issue that Buffalo needs to figure out is how to get their defense to perform better in the playoffs. In their four postseason games against Mahomes and Andy Reid, they’ve allowed 34.7 points per game. In this matchup, the Chiefs scored 32 points and it was their first time all season they’ve scored more than 30 points.
Buffalo’s defense has been excellent against most teams, but their inability to stop a pretty average Kansas City offense. In the biggest moments of the game, the Chiefs were able to pick up big gains whenever they absolutely had to have them. Sean McDermott’s defense is good, but it might be time to consider changing the scheme or overall philosophy. You just can’t win many playoff games, especially on the road, if you are allowing 30+ points.
Another issue for the Bills is that the Chiefs sure don’t appear to be going anywhere. They’ve got several young players on offense, including Xavier Worthy, who will help redefine the offense in the second half of the decade. So the Bills can’t expect the Chiefs to fall off before it’s their turn. Buffalo has to find a way to slay their dragon rather than hoping someone else does it for them.
What’s Next For The Bills
The good news for the Bills is that Josh Allen seems to be improving each year. 2024 was the best season of his career, as he found a way to be more consistent and toned down the reckless plays in big moments. He was fantastic in the postseason, scoring six touchdowns and not turning the ball over once in their three games. Allen will turn 29 in May and is still in the prime of his career. For that reason alone, the Bills have a great chance moving forward.
There used to be some concerns about if Allen would be good enough in the postseason to compete for the right to make the Super Bowl and it certainly feels like those have gone away. No one is questioning Allen’s ability leaving this game, and in fact, it feels even more certain that he is the second-best quarterback in the league. The Bills have found the hardest thing to find in sports. A franchise quarterback who can play at an even higher level in the postseason. That alone will keep them competitive year in and year out.
Buffalo is also in a relatively weak division, with the Patriots and Jets rebuilding. Maybe Mike Vrabel can turn the Patriots around next year, but they still feel at least a year away from competing for the division. But Buffalo can’t settle for just a division title. Earning the No. 1 seed in future years could be incredibly helpful when it comes to the playoffs.
But one thing is clear. The Bills have to find more dynamic playmakers on defense. Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie routinely make splash plays for the Chiefs in postseason contests. The Bills just don’t have that. They have some really good players, including Ed Olver, Taron Johnson, and Matt Milano. But they just don’t have the blue-chip talent on defense that can take over in big-time moments.
Finding those players can be incredibly difficult, especially when they are projected to be nearly $7 million over the cap entering the offseason. That’s why missing Kaiir Elam during the 2022 NFL Draft was such a killer. Buffalo already has a ton of assets committed for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, but it might be time to dive into future cap space and go all out for these next two years.
Getting more star power and depth on defense is a must for Buffalo. Their defense was exposed in the secondary once Christian Benford went down in the first half. The Bills were nearly 100 percent healthy on defense, but one injury to a cornerback completely flipped the game. That can’t happen moving forward.
The Bills proved that cthey an be highly explosive on offense even without a true No. 1 receiver. That is the sign that your quarterback has risen to a rare level. But now it’s time for Buffalo to build a championship-caliber defense that can stop the elite offenses. However, doing so with limited assets and cap space will be difficult.
The Bills are in a unique spot going into the 2025 offseason. What they do in the regular season almost doesn’t matter. As long as Allen is healthy, they’ll be in the postseason, and that’s how they will be judged. But having to wait 365 days once again for the chance to prove their worth can be tiring. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride. It’s the story of the Buffalo Bills.
Things just feel inevitable right now for the Bills. They’ll be a really good regular-season team and can even string together some postseason success. But until they finally crack through, it just feels like they’ll always come up short against the Chiefs. That’s a really tough spot to be in for any franchise.
