Short answer
This is Buffalo's last drive of the Bills–Chiefs divisional playoff in January 2022: down 33–29, 1:02 left, ball at the Buffalo 25, three timeouts each. You call every snap, and your calls are graded against Sean McDermott's, which score in the 56th percentile in our engine. The catch: scoring isn't the only thing that matters.
The situation
AFC Divisional round, January 23, 2022, in Kansas City. Buffalo had taken the lead with under two minutes left, and Kansas City needed two snaps to answer: Tyreek Hill turned a short pass into a 64-yard touchdown. Chiefs 33, Bills 29.
Josh Allen starts at his own 25 with 1:02 left. Both teams have all three timeouts. Down 4, a field goal does nothing; Buffalo needs a touchdown. And it's playing against Patrick Mahomes, so whatever time it leaves on the clock, he gets.
How the real drive went, play by play
Allen's first throw, deep right to Stefon Diggs, fell incomplete. On 2nd-and-10 he hit Gabriel Davis deep over the middle for 28 yards to the Kansas City 47, and Buffalo used a timeout at 0:49.
Davis caught another 12 yards to the 35. A deep shot to Diggs fell incomplete at 0:32, then Emmanuel Sanders caught 16 yards down the right side to the 19 (a pass interference flag on the play was declined). With 0:17 left on 1st-and-10, Allen threw to Davis over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown. Buffalo led 36–33 with 13 seconds left and two timeouts still in its pocket.
The calls that decided it
The key decision is 1st-and-10 at the Kansas City 19 with 0:17 left and two timeouts. You have up to four downs and enough timeouts to stop the clock after any play in bounds. Buffalo threw for the end zone right away and scored, which is the instinct. The cost was the 13 seconds it left for Kansas City.
The alternatives are all about time. A short completion in bounds and a timeout keeps the ball and eats a few seconds; a run burns more but risks a stop with less time to recover. You can't kneel out the clock when you're behind, so the trade is between getting the touchdown and how much you leave Mahomes. Our game grades each call on that trade, and then you play out what comes after, kickoff included.
More Legends
- 13 Seconds · AFC Divisional round, down 3, 0:13 left, own 25
- Hail Murray · Week 10, down 4, 0:34 left, own 25
- Stafford's Last Drive · Super Bowl LVI, down 4, 6:13 left, own 21
- Every Legend and Playoff Run
FAQ
What was the final score of Bills vs Chiefs in the 2022 divisional playoff?
Kansas City won 42–36 in overtime on January 23, 2022.
Who caught Josh Allen's last touchdown pass?
Gabriel Davis, on a 19-yard throw with 0:13 left. It was his fourth touchdown catch of the game.
How much time did the Bills leave the Chiefs?
Thirteen seconds. Kansas City used them to kick the tying field goal and then won in overtime.
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