Short answer
The 13 seconds Chiefs–Bills drive is the end of the January 2022 divisional playoff: Kansas City down 36–33, ball at its own 25, 13 seconds and three timeouts. You call every snap from there, and your calls are graded against Andy Reid's, which score in the 81st percentile in our engine.
The situation
AFC Divisional round, January 23, 2022, in Kansas City. The last two minutes had already produced three lead changes, and Josh Allen's touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis, his fourth of the night, had just put Buffalo ahead 36–33.
The Bills kicked off into the end zone, so Patrick Mahomes starts at his own 25 with 0:13 left and all three timeouts. Buffalo has one. A field goal ties it and sends it to overtime, but from the 25 Harrison Butker is far out of range. Kansas City needs roughly 40 yards in two plays, or one.
How the real drive went, play by play
First snap: Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill short on the left, and Hill turned it into 19 yards to the Kansas City 44. Kansas City called timeout with 0:08 left.
Second snap: Mahomes threw over the middle to Travis Kelce for 25 yards to the Buffalo 31, and Kansas City called timeout with 0:03 left. Butker made the 49-yard field goal to tie it 36–36. The whole drive took two plays and ten seconds.
The calls that decided it
The textbook answer with 13 seconds is the sideline: catch and step out, keep your timeouts. Kansas City did the opposite. Both completions came inside the numbers, and Reid used timeouts to stop the clock instead. With three timeouts, a catch in the middle costs only the seconds the play takes, and it opens up the whole field.
The question for you is how greedy to be. Two medium throws and a 49-yarder worked. One deeper shot might get closer, but an incompletion burns a play, and a sack ends it. In our game the kick is a real kick, with Butker's real range and a real miss rate, so where you stop matters.
What changed after
Kansas City won the overtime coin toss, drove 75 yards and won it 42–36 on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kelce. Buffalo never touched the ball. That spring the NFL changed its playoff overtime rule so that both teams get a possession. In this game, if you tie it, you play overtime too.
More Legends
- Allen's Answer · AFC Divisional round, down 4, 1:02 left, own 25
- Stafford's Last Drive · Super Bowl LVI, down 4, 6:13 left, own 21
- Mahomes on One Ankle · Super Bowl LVII, tied, 5:15 left, own 25
- Every Legend and Playoff Run
FAQ
What was the final score of the 13 seconds game?
Kansas City beat Buffalo 42–36 in overtime in the AFC Divisional round on January 23, 2022.
What happened in the 13 seconds?
Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill for 19 yards and Travis Kelce for 25, with timeouts after each, and Harrison Butker kicked a 49-yard field goal with 0:03 left to tie it 36–36.
Did the Bills get the ball in overtime?
No. Kansas City won the toss and scored a touchdown on the first possession, which ended the game under the rules at the time.
Did the NFL change overtime rules after Chiefs–Bills?
Yes. In March 2022 the owners changed the playoff overtime rule so both teams are guaranteed a possession.
Do I need to pay to play this?
This Legend is part of the Legends Pass, a one-time purchase that also unlocks every Playoff Run and removes ads. The daily drive, Practice and Survivor stay free, and 28–3 is a free Legend you can try first.
Sources
- nflverse play-by-play data — the real drive, snap by snap: down, distance, clock, timeouts and play descriptions
- Buffalo at Kansas City, AFC Divisional round 2022 box score — Pro Football Reference
- NFL owners approve changes to playoff overtime — Packers.com, March 2022