Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ undefeated run in 2024 came to a screeching halt in Week 11 as the Buffalo Bills secured a 30-21 statement win. The Bills, led by a brilliant late rushing touchdown from Josh Allen, handed the Chiefs their first loss of the season in front of a full-packed crowd at Highmark Stadium.
For Mahomes and the Chiefs, this defeat exposed cracks in an offense that has struggled to find its rhythm all year.
Shannon Sharpe Calls Out Patrick Mahomes
Former Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe had a sharp assessment of Mahomes.
“I’m very concerned, because he hasn’t played well all year. If you see the turnovers, yeah, he has a very high completion percentage, but a lot of it is smoke screens,” Sharpe said.
“They’re not pushing the ball downfield.”
Sharpe also called out Kansas City’s red-zone inefficiency, terming it as a season-long issue.
“Patrick Mahomes is missing throws that he normally would never miss. And when they get the ball into the red zone, it’s been a struggle all year for them to push the ball into the end zone, and that was always a concern of mine,” Sharpe added. [08:36]
Sunday’s game was all about Kansas City’s reliance on defense, which has been a safety net throughout the season. Against Buffalo, however, the defense faltered, and Kansas City’s offense couldn’t pick up the slack.
Mahomes, who completed 61% of his passes and threw for just one touchdown, admitted the loss was a wake-up call.
“We feel like we can play better,” Mahomes said postgame. “We will get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end.”
For the Bills, this victory was a rare two-score triumph over a Mahomes-led team, a feat few have accomplished.
How rare is it for a team to beat the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs by more than 8 points?
Today was just the fifth time it's happened in his 124 starts (a 4% occurrence).
That's just the second time it's happened in the last three seasons (playoffs included!).
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) November 18, 2024
Allen’s fourth-quarter heroics and the Bills’ relentless approach throughout the game clearly showed that Buffalo is ready to contend with Kansas City.
In the postseason, Mahomes still holds a 3-0 record against the Bills. However, Allen’s dominance in the regular season (4-1 against Mahomes) gives Bills Mafia hope that this could be the year their team breaks through.
The loss also dashed any hopes of a perfect season for Mahomes and the Chiefs, leaving the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only team in NFL history to achieve that milestone. While Mahomes isn’t dwelling on this defeat, Sharpe’s concerns echo the sentiments of many Chiefs fans.
If Kansas City is to reclaim its Super Bowl-winning form, fixing offensive inefficiencies will be critical moving forward. For now, Mahomes and Co. must regroup and prepare for the grind of the remaining schedule.