Chiefs beat Bills 30-22, win fifth straight game

The Chiefs’ showdown against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday had all the makings of a disappointing home loss — at least early on.

It was cold and rainy, and the Chiefs appeared to be sleepwalking while the Bills — led by quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was making all sorts of gorgeous throws — jumped out to 10-point lead.

Prior to Sunday, that would be a pretty good indicator of a defeat, as the Chiefs had lost 20 of the previous 21 games in which they trailed by at least 10 points. What's more, a number of key Chiefs — including outside linebacker Justin Houston (knee), left tackle Eric Fisher (head and neck) and center Mitch Morse (concussion) — were lost during the game with injuries.

But these Chiefs, which bounced back from a 1-5 start to pull to .500, are slowly proving that they are a team that should not be counted out. With their backs against the wall early, they got their deep passing game going, stiffened on defense and fought back to beat the Bills 30-22 before an announced crowd of 72,493 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Now to be clear, there were nowhere near that many fans who braved the elements to watch the Chiefs pick up their fifth-straight win. But those who did saw a Bills team that was dialed in early, as they opened the game with a seven-play, 68-yard scoring drive capped by a 27-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter.

And after the Chiefs' offense came up empty on their first two drives — including one that was spurred by a Jaye Howard recovery on a LeSean McCoy fumble forced by Dontari Poe — the Bills jumped out to a 10-0 lead, thanks in large part to the budding connection between Taylor and receiver Sammy Watkins.

Taylor provided the first sign of things to come on a third-and-10 early in the drive, when he patiently sat in the pocket and lofted a gorgeous 14-yard touch throw to Watkins near the sideline for a first down. A few plays later, Taylor lofted another throw Watkins' way, this one for a 28-yard touchdown up the left sideline over cornerback Sean Smith.

Making matters worse for the Chiefs, Houston was leg-whipped by safety Ron Parker earlier in the drive, and had to leave the game with a knee injury after he limped off the field.

So needless to say, entering the second quarter, the Chiefs seemed to be in a bit of a funk. But after the defense came up with a third-down stop at the Chiefs' 44, the offense finally woke up. And Spencer Ware, who got the start at running back for an injured Charcandrick West, supplied the juice.

West's first carry of the ensuing drive went for 16 yards, and his second went for 12. His third went for 4, and with the Bills committed to the run, quarterback Alex Smith — who finished 19 of 30 for 255 yards and two touchdowns — spotted Jeremy Maclin running side-by-side with his man in single coverage with no safety help. He promptly lofted a deep ball that died in the air toward the end, but was still hauled in by a sliding Maclin for a 37-yard gain.

The play set up a 3-yard touchdown plunge by Ware — who had 19 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown — and the Chiefs pulled to within 10-7 midway through the second quarter.

Buffalo would respond, however, as Watkins continued to torture the Chiefs. He promptly caught a 33-yard pass over Parker, which only set up Watkins' second touchdown of the game, courtesy of another 21-yard jump ball over Smith.

By that point, Watkins has six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. But he would not catch another pass all day, and the Chiefs' offense was no longer stuck in neutral, either.

After Smith completed a 14-yard pass to Maclin, a 25-yard pass interference penalty on cornerback Nickell Robey set up the Chiefs' second touchdown, another deep throw up the right sideline to Maclin — who had nine catches for 160 yards and a touchdown — for 41 yards that cut the Chiefs' deficit to 16-14.

That would be the halftime score, though the Chiefs nearly took a lead into the break. Kicker Cairo Santos' 54-yard field goal attempt as time expired bounced off the crossbar, but considering the way the first half started — and the injuries incurred, as Fisher and left guard Jeff Allen (who would return) all left the game due to injuries by then — it was a win for the Chiefs, who built on that momentum in the second half.

Smith continued to push the ball downfield, finding Maclin for a 32-yard completion on their opening drive. A few plays later, he spotted tight end Travis Kelce in single coverage over the middle and found him for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game, 21-16.

The Chiefs' defense seized on the momentum swing too, as outside linebacker Tamba Hali sped off the right edge — from the spot Houston typically mans — and strip-sacked Taylor. The ball was recovered by Poe in Bills territory, which eventually led to a 49-yard Santos field goal that extended the Chiefs' lead to eight.

The Chiefs seemed primed to keep rolling, too, at least until Demetrius Harris' fourth-down neutral-zone infraction on the Bills' next drive. The penalty extended the drive, and the Bills took advantage, as McCoy scored on a 10-yard touchdown reception to cut the deficit to 24-22, as the two-point conversion attempt failed.

That was the score heading into the fourth quarter. Santos extended the Chiefs' lead to 27-22 with a field goal, this one from 38 yards, and later extended it to 30-22 with another field goal, this one from 37 yards.

The Bills still had a chance to tie the game following Santos' final field goal, which came with a little over three minutes left in the game. But Taylor, who completed 21 of 38 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns, was stopped short of the marker on a fourth-down scramble on the ensuing drive, and the Chiefs ran out the clock to clinch the victory.

With the win, the Chiefs improved to 6-5, while Buffalo dropped to 5-6. The Chiefs will face AFC West rival Oakland on the road next week in yet another game that has playoff implications. The Raiders improved to 5-6 on Sunday with a 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans.

This story was originally published November 29, 2015 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Chiefs beat Bills 30-22, win fifth straight game."