13 Seconds: Looking back at a franchise-defining game for the Bills and Chiefs

It's been nearly 900 days since the Kansas City Chiefs walked off the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. Right now, in the middle of June, every football game feels precious, but there are just some games that you will always remember where you were when they happened. The 2021 AFC Divisional game between the Bills and Chiefs felt like a tectonic shift in quarterbacking. It was Kong v. Godzilla, exchanging blows back and forth without the collateral damage of a broken cityscape.

The game feels like it was yesterday but somehow it's been over two years. So much has changed with both of these franchises since this Sunday in January. This game (and the following game) were really the turning point for both teams' futures. For Chiefs fans, this is just another chapter in the storybook world in which they've been living for the last 5 years. For Bills fans, this probably feels like the biggest "what if?" moment of their fandom.

I sat down and watched the entire game once again, and here are 13 observations (in honor of 13 seconds) that stood out to me over two years later.

1. A tale of two seasons

2021 felt like the hardest season the Chiefs have had under Patrick Mahomes (2023 might have surpassed it though). The Chiefs were, at one point, sitting with a 3-4 record after a crushing loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. After a blowout loss in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs offense seemed broken and the defense was struggling. However, the Chiefs reeled off eight straight wins to get back to 11-4. The Chiefs had a lot to figure out offensively this year and most of it had to do with beating Cover 2.

The Bills also had a unique path here. After getting crushed by the Chiefs in the AFC Championship they were the new hot name for 2021. They came out hot at 4-1 including a big win in Arrowhead. However, they fell all the way to 7-6 after some key injuries. But, their defense got healthier and helped them push to 11-6

2. Roster turnover

It's wild how quickly NFL rosters turn over, especially a roster that would go on to win consecutive Super Bowls. Tyrann Matheu, Jarran Reed, Melvin Ingram, Daniel Sorenson, Alex Okafor, Ben Niemann, Anthony Hitchens, Charvarius Ward, Mike Hughes, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson and who can forget Dorian O'Daniel were all playing in their final victory in Arrowhead.

Looking back, it's probably for the best that these players moved on. Charvarius Ward was an All-Pro this year, which would hurt if the Chiefs didn't have another All-Pro CB of their own (McDuffie). Tyrann Mathieu was a great player but was already showing signs of aging. He left this game early with a concussion which really impacted it.

3. Prime Jerick McKinnon

I always say the Chiefs offense looked the best it ever did with Kareem Hunt in 2018 but I might be sleeping on McKinnon in 2021. The Chiefs barely used him leading up to the playoffs but an injury to Darrel Williams led to him getting a much larger role.

McKinnon was coming off a 142-yard game the previous week against the Pittsburgh Steelers and he was crucial in this game. Even though he only had 78 total yards, he picked up some key first downs and was electric in the passing game, foreshadowing what he would bring to the offense in 2022.

4. Patrick Mahomes' scrambling ability

Amazingly, Patrick Mahomes is the Chiefs all-time post-season rusher (524 yds). He's just 14 yards ahead of Isiah Pacheco, so hopefully he will pass him this year. But no Chiefs playoff game is complete without some back-breaking Mahomes scrambles for the defense. Mahomes and Allen combined for 137 yards rushing in this game, including this 34-yard run by Mahomes in the first quarter.

5. The Chiefs' aging defense

After watching the youthful and explosive defense of the 2022-23 Chiefs, it's staggering how slow the defense was in this game. They lost Tyrann Mathieu to injury, which is part of the reason why Gabe Davis turned into Randy Moss for a single night, but that's not the only reason.

It should be more widely recognized that Anthony Hitchens started for the Chiefs all of 2021 and outsnapped Willie Gay and Nick Bolton only to never play another snap of NFL football again. The Bills routinely abused Hitchens with Devin Singletary and Josh Allen. Frank Clark looked slow. Jarran Reed might as well have been on a milk carton. Melvin Ingram flashed a bit, but it was mostly Chris Jones on the defensive line too.

6. This was the Bills team

While the Bills made it further in 2020 and may have had more talent in 2022, the 2021 version of this team was an absolute wagon. Safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were still excellent. The linebacking tandem of Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds was excellent. Stefon Diggs was in his prime, Gabe Davis transformed into Calvin Johnson in the playoffs, and Josh Allen still had Brian Daboll calling the plays. We've seen the Bills try to inject more talent into this roster but this was the peak for them.

7. Legion of Zoom is missed

Man, how about that Tyreek Hill guy? Could you imagine him and Travis Kelce together in the same offense? In all seriousness, Hill truly was the perfect second weapon for this offense and he showcased why in this game. It wasn't just him, though; Mecole Hardman scored a key rushing touchdown with his speed too. The Chiefs hopefully will be able to get back to this dynamic level of offense with Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy on the field together in 2024.

8. The worst play call I've ever seen

Andy Reid is already a top 3 head coach of all time in the NFL. We don't need to glow him up any more than he already has done for himself. But, the sounds emanating from my living room when I saw Blake Bell get under center and run a speed option to Jerick McKinnon on 3rd-and-1 still haunt me. The Chiefs had a chance to go up 30-21 with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter. After an incredible punt return by Tyreek Hill. Instead, they waste the opportunity by having Bell fake like he was going to run a QB sneak to run speed option. Classic Chiefs short-yardage shenanigans.

9. Kicker foreshadowing

Harrison Butker missed four points worth of kicks in this game which really kept it closer than it should have been. However, Tyler Bass was nails in this game. Good thing the Bills have a kicker they can count on in the playoffs! Despite the four points in missed kicks, Harrison Butker will never get enough credit for drilling the 49-yard game-tying field goal to complete the 13-second comeback.

10. Josh Allen's family? International Pop Star?

For some reason, the CBS camera crew was very interested in Josh Allen's family suite as they cut to it several times throughout the game. The clips of them celebrating with 13 seconds will live in infamy. However, as a Chiefs fan, you have to wonder where the angered fans are about the Allen family camera shots? After all, we know how distracting it can be to show five seconds of a certain celebrity in the suites during a game. It was a different era of coverage, since nobody seemed to care about it back then.

11. Overtime rules

One of the biggest turning points in the game is when the Chiefs win the overtime coin toss. This rule burned the Chiefs in 2018 when Tom Brady's Patriots won a coin toss in Arrowhead to go to the Super Bowl. Josh Allen never got the ball in overtime, which allowed the Chiefs to drive down and score the game-winning touchdown. The final drive was just as dominant; the Chiefs offense rolled through the Bills' defense like a hot knife through butter.

Ironically, this game is what finally led to the rule being changed so that both teams would get the ball in overtime. However, in true Bills fashion, even when they do something right, it helps the Chiefs. The first playoff overtime? Super Bowl 58, where the Chiefs had a decided advantage over the 49ers who apparently were confused by the new rules.

12. Why did they kick it??

This game is largely looked as another chapter in the greatness of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. However, the Bills HAD THIS GAME WON. If the Bills simply call for a squib kick with 13 seconds left it easily would've drained another four to five seconds off the clock, making it even harder for K.C. to get a field goal. Shout out to Leslie Frazier, too—the Bills defensive coordinator who called for super soft press coverage that allowed the Chiefs to drive 44 yards in two plays. An all-time fumbled oppurtunity by the Bills coaching staff.

13. Legacies

Fellow Chiefs fan Nick Wright hit the nail on the head with his description of this game. He argues this game did more for Josh Allen's legacy than Patrick Mahomes, Allen gained more by losing to Mahomes than Mahomes did by winning. Part of that comes from Mahomes already being anointed. By this point, Patrick Mahomes was already a Super Bowl MVP, regular season MVP, and had been to two Super Bowls. Allen was also incredible in this game: 329 yards, 4 TD, 68 rush yards, and a 136 passer rating. Everybody was looking for the next long-term challenger to Mahomes and this game helped establish Allen as that.

Ultimately, this game was iconic for many reasons, but as a Chiefs fan, it still carries a certain sting. We all talked about 13 seconds and the "grim reaper" for days only for the team to go out and choke away a 21-3 lead to the Cincinnati Bengals at home. However, that sting has been eased by two more Super Bowl Championships. This game was part of what propelled the Chiefs to enter a new era of their roster construction—trading Tyreek Hill and creating a youth movement on the defense. This game helped build a dynasty.