The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the 2024 NFL season as Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a thrilling win with a sublime late rushing touchdown.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs entered Highmark Stadium on Sunday with a perfect, unblemished 9-0 record. But their run came to an end against the Bills, who emerged 30-21 victors as the latest chapter of the Allen-Mahomes rivalry lived up to the billing.

Allen threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in the win, although it was his legs that supplied a potentially season-defining play. Facing fourth-and-two on the Chiefs’ 26-yard line with the score 23-21 in favor of the Bills, the Buffalo offense stayed on the field as Sean McDermott put the ball in Allen’s hands, and he delivered; the quarterback faked a throw before bursting up the middle, breaking tackles and shaking off defenders as he rumbled into the end zone.

The 28-year-old flexed to the jubilant Bills Mafia fans as his run ensured the franchise maintained a crucial lead.The incredible run almost single-handedly boosts Allen’s MVP chances, with the Bills moving to 9-2 while extending their six-game win streak.

Mahomes and the Chiefs offense attempted to drive downfield, but the quarterback was intercepted as he attempted a deep ball on fourth-and-13. Mahomes finished with 196 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with two interceptions – which he threw on his first and last passes of the day.

In the eight matchups between Mahomes and Allen, the series is now tied with each quarterback claiming four wins. The Bills have actually beaten the Chiefs each of the past four years in the regular season, but in the playoffs in 2021, 2022, and 2024, Kansas City sent Buffalo packing – including on the road as the AFC West franchise went on to clinch a second straight Super Bowl title.

The win also means Allen’s Bills are firmly in the race for the top seed in the AFC, which secures a first-round bye and allows for home advantage through the playoffs. Suddenly the 9-2 Bills are just one loss behind Kansas City in the standings – and have the head-to-head tiebreaker clinched.

With the Bills emerging victorious, the Chiefs will not join the pantheon of undefeated teams in the Super Bowl era. The 1972 Miami Dolphins won the Super Bowl with a perfect record, while Tom Brady‘s 2007New England Patriots came agonizingly close only to lose in the big game to the New York Giants.

The 9-1 Chiefs are next in action against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Nov. 24, while the Bills enjoy a bye week before returning on Sunday Night Football in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 2.