Ed Oliver takes fumble away from Patrick Mahomes, sets up early game-saving touchdown

The Chiefs had been having their way with the Bills defense early in the AFC championship game. If not for the effort of DT Ed Oliver, the Bills might have been facing a two-score deficit in the first quarter.

Neal Coolong | Jan 26, 2025

Oct 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass as Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) defends during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

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Patrick Mahomes doesn't need much to exploit an advantage. Early in the AFC championship game, he was finding many of them against a hapless Bills defense.

Mahomes was driving the Chiefs, up 7-3, for what looked like a second touchdown of the first quarter. Mahomes had fumbled earlier in the sequence, but an offsides penalty on Buffalo negated the play. His second fumble, however, came on a muffed run option handoff. Mahomes initially appeared to recover it, but, prior to the whistle, and the standard fumble dogpile, Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver reached in on the ground and took it away from Mahomes.

Buffalo was able to convert the drive into points, as James Cook took a handoff six yards for the Bills' first touchdown of the game. After the fumble, the Bills drove 72 yards on 10 plays for the score.

The play halted the Chiefs' offense, which had racked up six plays of 10 yards or more at that point in the game. It gave Josh Allen and the Bills the ball back, and saved what could have been a significant hole early in the game.