Buffalo Bills

The Super Bowl LIX matchup is set, and fans are gearing up for another showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs after the Buffalo Bills fell short in the final minutes of Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs secured a 32-29 victory over the Bills to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. The dynamic quarterback put on a show, rushing for 43 yards, completing 18-of-26 passes for 245 yards and recording one passing touchdown along with two rushing scores.

For Buffalo, it was a heartbreaking end to their season. Josh Allen gave a valiant effort, finishing 22-of-34 for 237 yards and two touchdowns while adding 39 rushing yards in the narrow defeat.

Fans were quick to voice their frustrations over the Bills' questionable play-calling down the stretch, with some blaming the sideline decisions for the team's late-game collapse.

Running back Kareem Hunt opened the scoring for the Chiefs with a 12-yard rush, capping off a five-minute drive to put Kansas City up 7-0 on their opening possession. The Bills responded shortly after with a successful 53-yard field goal by Tyler Bass.

A costly fumble by Patrick Mahomes, recovered by Ed Oliver late in the first quarter, set up the Bills in prime position. James Cook capitalized early in the second quarter with a touchdown run, giving Buffalo a 10-7 lead.

Mahomes and Xavier Worthy quickly turned the tide with back-to-back scoring drives, adding 14 points to put the Chiefs ahead 21-10 with less than two minutes remaining in the half.

Buffalo executed a flawless two-minute drill, as Allen connected with Mack Hollins on a 34-yard touchdown pass. However, their failed two-point conversion left the Bills trailing 21-16 at halftime.

The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, with neither team able to put points on the board until Cook broke through with under three minutes remaining, scoring his second touchdown to give the Bills a 22-21 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Mahomes wasted no time regaining the lead, scoring on a 10-yard rush early in the fourth. He followed it up with a successful two-point pass to Justin Watson, putting the Chiefs up 29-22.

Allen responded on the next drive, connecting with Curtis Samuel on a four-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 29-29. Kansas City answered again, as Harrison Butker drilled a 35-yard field goal with 3:33 left in regulation, putting the Chiefs ahead 32-29.

The Bills' final drive fell short when a failed screen pass and relentless pressure on Allen on 4th-and-5 resulted in a turnover on downs at their own 47-yard line, sealing the Chiefs' victory.

The Chiefs now turn their attention to a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles on Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Saints are suddenly down a candidate in their head coaching search.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has pulled out of contention for the Saints job ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rapoport also reported that the Saints plan to speak with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

Nick Underhill of New Orleans Football Network added that Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury "hasn't decided whether or not to take an interview with the Saints" and will start to look at his options once the team's season is over.

Brady has been the Bills offensive coordinator since the 2023 season and previously had served as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator for the 2021 season.

Under Brady's tutelage, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a spectacular 2024 season. Allen threw for 3,731 yards with 28 touchdowns and six interceptions while also adding 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

The Saints are the only team left without a permanent head coach. New Orleans fired head coach Dennis Allen during the 2024 season and finished the year 5-12. The team had also been linked to Aaron Glenn but he elected to leave the Detroit Lions for the New York Jets.

As they look for a permanent fill, McCarthy, Moore and others will contend for the job while Brady focuses on helping the Bills capture their first Super Bowl.

The NFL doesn't have any sort of Offensive Lineman of the Year award, and Buffalo Bills' tackle Dion Dawkins wants to see that change.

"Offensive lineman don't have awards for being great," he told reporters Thursday. "There's not a 'Protector of the Year' award. I'm knocking on so many doors now to get this award going. I'm gonna head spear it and make sure this gets done before I'm done playing. Because there's so many greats. So many greats. We have great quarterbacks, we have great running backs, we have rushing titles, we have quarterback passing titles. All of those titles are reflections of the O-lineman, which are the protectors."

He makes a good point. Even on the college level, multiple awards honor offensive lineman. The Lombardi Award goes to the nation's best collegiate lineman, tight end or linebacker; the Outland Trophy is given to the best interior lineman (offense or defense); and the Rimington Trophy is awarded to the best center.

NFL awards for players are limited to the MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (which honors a player's off-the-field contributions to their community). The MVP is essentially a quarterback award at this point, while the Offensive Player of the Year generally goes to the best running back or wide receiver, leaving offensive lineman without any sort of distinction to chase outside of Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

If Dawkins has his way, that situation will someday be rectified.

Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde paid quarterback Josh Allen the ultimate compliment Thursday by comparing him to one of the most viral Madden videos of all time.

While discussing the superstar quarterback with Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, Hyde said: "He just, Greg Jennings, just like, put the team on his back."

Hyde was alluding to a video from the Madden NFL video game series that took the internet by storm several years ago. In it, then-Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings caught a pass and hobbled about 80 yards for a touchdown despite suffering a broken leg:

While Allen has never quite done anything to that effect, he has created his fair share of jaw-dropping moments on the field, and has played through plenty of injuries as well.

Last month, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Allen suffered a fractured non-throwing hand while rushing for a touchdown during the team's Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Allen didn't miss any games, giving him 105 consecutive regular-season starts, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.

The 28-year-old also put up big numbers once again this season, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and a career-low six interceptions, while rushing for 531 yards and 12 scores.

Allen became the first player in NFL history to score 40 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons, plus he earned his third career Pro Bowl nod and second selection as a Second Team All-Pro.

Additionally, the Bills won their fifth consecutive AFC East title with Allen leading the way, and after beating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs last weekend, they will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Allen had one of the plays of the year earlier this season when he rushed for a 26-yard touchdown on fourth down to essentially seal a 30-21 win over the Chiefs.

That proved to be the only time the Chiefs would lose during the regular season aside from Week 18 when they sat their starters against the Denver Broncos.

Hyde, who began the season out of football before rejoining the Bills as part of their practice squad in December, couldn't choose just one Allen play as his favorite, saying:

"S--t, all of 'em. That boy's a beast, I was like yelling at the TV. Even though he's my teammate, my buddy and whatever, like, just to see him from where he was when he got here to where he is now. I'm like a proud uncle, because I'm just like, dude, it's amazing what he's able to do week in, week out."

Hyde noted that the Allen fandom has permeated to his son as well, saying: "He always wants to be Josh Allen, especially when we're playing. I'm like, what about 23?"

Allen's popularity could grow even more if he manages to take down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Tom Brady and Joe Burrow are the only quarterbacks to beat a Mahomes-led Chiefs team in the playoffs, and Allen will have another chance to join that exclusive list.

A superhuman performance from Allen would undoubtedly be a big help in the Bills reaching their first Super Bowl since the 1993 season, but Buffalo proved last week that it can win big games without Allen going nuclear.

Allen had just 127 passing yards against Baltimore, although he did rush for two touchdowns. The biggest difference-maker was a defense that forced three Ravens turnovers.

Regardless of how it happens, a playoff win over the Chiefs and a Super Bowl berth would be huge additions to Allen's legacy, which continues to grow with each passing game.

The Buffalo Bills acquired five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper via trade in October.

After a 72-catch, 1,250-yard season in 2023 with the Cleveland Browns, Cooper hasn't been as productive with the Bills in 2024, snagging 20 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. He's added just two catches for eight yards in the playoffs.

Cooper is completely unbothered by the lack of productions, though, saying he has "absolutely no complaints" as the Bills keep winning (h/t Matt Parrino of syracuse.com).

Cooper is part of a crowded five-man wide receiver group right now that also includes Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel. All five players had between snap shares of 31 to 67 percent in the team's 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, per Pro Football Reference. Cooper landed at 34 percent.

The week before in a 31-7 wild-card win over the Denver Broncos, the five wideouts were at 36-68 percent, with Cooper on the tail end at 36.

So he hasn't been playing much compared to his peers even though he's enjoyed tremendous success and production in the past. It's clear that's not bothering Cooper, though, as he's gone further in the playoffs than he's ever had before and now has a chance to make a Super Bowl for the first time in his career.

Cooper and the Bills have to get by the Kansas City Chiefs, first, though. That AFC Championship Game matchup is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET in Kansas City.

As he gears up for his fourth playoff clash against the Kansas City Chiefs in the last five years, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had high praise for his longtime rivals.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Allen called Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes "one of the greatest ever to play the game" and added that Kansas City is "one of the greatest teams to ever be assembled."

Allen will be trying to relieve an immense weight on his shoulders when the Bills visit the Chiefs for Sunday's AFC Championship Game, as he is 0-4 against Mahomes and company in the postseason. According to the Associated Press, he and Mahomes are the fifth set of quarterbacks to meet at least four times in the playoffs, but the other matchups were much more even.

This appears to be Buffalo's best chance to finally break through, as Allen has been the leading candidate for NFL MVP all year and he's continued to perform at a high level throughout the postseason. His steady play helped the Bills outlast fellow MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in a hard-fought 27-25 win in last Sunday's AFC Divisional Round matchup.

This week's game against the Chiefs will likely be just as tough, as the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champs will be out for revenge. Allen and Buffalo handed Kansas City its first loss of the 2024 season during their Week 11 meeting. Allen's 26-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that helped seal the victory is regarded as one of the best plays of the season.

Allen will need to recreate that magic if he hopes to help the Bills reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993.