Bills get great playoff news as Chiefs' AFC dynasty might finally be over

The Buffalo Bills not only gained ground on the New England Patriots in the AFC East on Sunday, they also may have gotten their long-nemesis out of the way for the playoffs.

Long after the Bills' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at snowy Highmark Stadium improved them to 9-4, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a shocking home loss that might have finally ended their AFC dynasty. The Chiefs lost to the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football, 20-10, as Patrick Mahomes was intercepted three times.

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The Chiefs, who have knocked the Bills out of the playoffs four times in the Josh Allen Era, have been to seven consecutive AFC Championship Games. Now at 6-7, however, the Chiefs fall to the 10th seed in the AFC and have only a 16-percent chance of making the playoffs. At this point they have the same record as the Miami Dolphins.

While the Chiefs may finally be dead, the Bills' huge game with the Patriots is alive and well for Week 15.

It took the surprising Patriots to be on their Bye and another heroic effort by Allen, but the Bills finally made up ground in the AFC East on Sunday. After the Week 14 come-from-behind win over the Bengals, the Bills improved to 9-4 and now trail the Pats by only two games with four remaining.

The teams meet next Sunday in Foxboro in a showdown that could decide if the Bills wins the division for a sixth consecutive season. The Pats upset Buffalo, 23-20, in Week 5.

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With their win Sunday, the Bills at least are making it interesting. They not only gained a half-game on the idle Pats, they solidified their position in the AFC Wild Card race. The Bills are now 5th in the AFC, though they could fall to 6th if the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Eagles to improve to 9-4 with a better conference record than Buffalo.