The Kansas City Chiefs can thanks the Buffalo Bills for overtime rules

On January 23rd, 2022 NFL history was about to change. For one franchise, it was going to change for the worse, and for another, a change for the best. What nobody knew at the time was how each team would influence the outcome of the other.

On that date, the Kansas City Chiefs outplayed the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs. After a classic back and forth, the Bills thought they had the game won with just 13 seconds left on the clock. But that was too long.

The Chiefs tied the game in regulation on a Harrison Butker field goal, and headed to overtime where Patrick Mahomes marched down the field and ended the Bills' season on a touchdown strike to Travis Kelce.

Ironically, neither team would actually go to the Super Bowl that year. But as Reba McEntire famously said, "The wheels of fate were starting to turn." And for the Bills, there was no way out.

Like so many teams defeated by the Chiefs, the Bills found themselves crying like sore losers. In fact, they cried so much that they demanded that the NFL change the post-season overtime rules so both teams had an opportunity to score.

And they were granted their request. The rules changed. But, they were never actually put into practice until February 11th, 2023. And guess what? It wasn't the Buffalo Bills benefiting. No, while they licked their wounds from yet another divisional round defeat at the hands of the Chiefs, the Chiefs were locking up their second straight Super Bowl thanks to the rule change.

The San Francisco 49ers had won the coin toss, and believing that the year was 2015, asked to receive the ball in overtime. This set up a series of unfortunate events (for them) that allowed Patrick Mahomes to walk away with his third Lombardi in five years.

The sweet and cruel irony of the entire situation should not be missed. The case could be made that the Kansas City Chiefs were playing the long game the entire time. I can picture Andy Reid scheming up his dark machinations against Buffalo in a secret lab underneath Arrowhead.

"Let's crush their souls so much that they change the rules that allow us to win the Super Bowl in two years." It's a delightfully imaginative thought for all of Chiefs Kingdom, and a dreadfully painful realization for Bills Mafia.

So here is a tip of the cap to the Bills. Thank you for getting the rules changed. The Chiefs might not have won without you. And as a friendly reminder: be careful what you wish for.