The Albany Gazette - Bills rein in Patriots as Chiefs eliminated

The Bills' 35-31 victory -- after having trailed 21-0 -- in sub-freezing conditions ended high-flying New England's 10-game winning streak and kept the AFC East division title race alive.

Reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Allen orchestrated five consecutive drives with touchdowns, at least temporarily thwarting the Patriots' bid to reclaim the division title from Buffalo for the first time in five years.

The result underlined Buffalo's status as a strong Super Bowl favorite despite inconsistent form this season.

The Patriots had been utterly dominant in the first quarter, with quarterback Drake Maye rushing for two touchdowns in the snow and rookie TreVeyon Henderson running 52 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

The Bills battled back. Allen found James Cook and Dawson Knox with touchdown passes on either side of half-time.

Cook then barely kept the ball airborne as he stretched across the line for a third Buffalo touchdown that was initially ruled out by officials, before Allen seized the lead with a powerful 14-yard sling to Knox.

Henderson briefly reclaimed the advantage for New England with a stunning 65-yard sprint for a touchdown. But Cook barged through the Patriots line for the game-winning touchdown score.

New England -- which dominated the NFL in the Tom Brady era of the 2000s and 2010s but have faced a difficult rebuild -- still have three more regular season games to claim the AFC East, which they lead over the Bills by a single game.

- Chiefs out -

It came as the Kansas City Chiefs -- the most dominant team in the NFL over the past decade -- saw their slim hopes of making the playoffs officially end.

The Chiefs' 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, combined with other results, means Patrick Mahomes and his team will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Kansas City have won three Super Bowls from five appearances since 2020, but saw a sharp drop off in form this season. To compound their misery, Mahomes limped off the field Sunday with an apparent injury.

Elsewhere, the Baltimore Ravens ended Cincinnati's slim playoff hopes with a dominant 24-0 win, their defense shutting out Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow.

And Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence managed five passing touchdowns and one rushing score as the Jaguars demolished the New York Jets 48-20.

- Rivers returns -

Later on Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Broncos can both book their own playoff spots early.

The Rams (10-3) play the Detroit Lions in a matchup that pits both quarterbacks -- Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford -- against their former teams following a 2021 blockbuster trade.

The Broncos (11-2) face a tough test against the in-form Green Bay Packers.

Desperately battling to remain in playoff contention are the Indianapolis Colts, who will start a quarterback who retired five years ago and has been coaching high-school football since.

Philip Rivers, 44, steps in against the Seattle Seahawks after the Colts lost Daniel Jones to a season-ending injury last weekend.

This week, Rivers joked he is "not sure" what he currently weighs, and admitted his family were "nervous" about his return to one of sports' most dangerous positions after so long away.

Sunday's action will conclude with the Dallas Cowboys against the Minnesota Vikings.

(F.Allen--TAG)