Bills Central

Updated AFC playoff picture after Buffalo Bills-Chiefs Week 9 thriller

The Buffalo Bills' Week 9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs had quite the impact on the AFC playoff picture.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston intercepts the ball in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston intercepts the ball in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills had a statement win on Sunday, knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs 28-21 in Week 9.

Offensively, it was significant since James Cook ran for more than 100 yards on an elite run defense. The Chiefs' defense had been so good against the run that Cook is the first player since Lamar Jackson in Week 1 of 2024 to gain 100 yards on the ground. He's also the first running back to do so since Zamir White on Christmas Day 2023.

MORE: 3 winners & 2 losers in Bills' impressive Week 9 win vs. Chiefs

Of course, the Bills have had wins over the Chiefs in the regular season. The problem has been the playoffs, where Kansas City is 4-0 against Buffalo since Josh Allen was drafted.

If the playoffs were to start today, however, the Bills wouldn't have to worry about that. Buffalo's victory moved them into the top Wild Card spot, but it put the Chiefs on the outside with a record of 5-4.

Shortly after the graphic was shared, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished their Week 9 game with a win, improving to 5-3. That keeps the Chiefs "in the hunt" rather than in the playoffs.

MORE: Josh Allen overtakes former NFL MVP with pair of impressive records vs. Chiefs

Bills shouldn't expect the Chiefs to miss out on the postseason

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is brought down by Buffalo Bills DEs Michael Hoecht and Greg Rousseau.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is brought down by Buffalo Bills DEs Michael Hoecht and Greg Rousseau. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

There's still a lot of football left to be played, so expecting the Chiefs to be out of the playoffs is unrealistic. They've been an elite team ever since Patrick Mahomes took over, and that won't change despite his struggles against Buffalo this weekend.

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That said, this isn't the same dominant Kansas City team we're accustomed to seeing. They've struggled with consistency throughout the season, making them look beatable.

The question is whether or not it will be enough for Allen and the Bills to finally get over the hump should the two teams meet in the playoffs once again.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.