Mahomes vs Allen thriller lights up NFL results today – live playoff chaos
24.01.2026 - 23:04:01
Mahomes vs. Allen: Another Instant Classic
The marquee matchup delivered everything. The Chiefs edged the Bills in a 34-31 thriller that felt like a playoff game dropped right into late January. Patrick Mahomes carved up the Bills secondary, posting roughly 320+ passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 picks, playing almost mistake?free football when it mattered most. His pocket movement was vintage: sliding away from pressure, flipping side?arm lasers on third and long, and repeatedly finding Travis Kelce in tight windows.
Josh Allen answered with full superhero mode. He threw for around 290 yards, 2 passing TDs, and added another rushing score, lowering his shoulder on linebackers and dragging the Bills down the field in the fourth. But the killer stat? A late interception on a deep shot that Mahomes turned into points. That one throw swung the momentum and arguably the game.
The key sequence came mid?fourth: Chiefs facing 4th-and-4 near midfield, clinging to a three?point lead. Andy Reid kept the offense on the field, Mahomes took the shotgun snap, felt pressure off the right edge, spun back, rolled left, and snapped a dart across his body to Rashee Rice for 18 yards. The very next play, Mahomes went play?action and hit Kelce up the seam for a 24?yard touchdown. Arrowhead South erupted in red jerseys as the Chiefs stretched it to a two?score cushion.
Allen still wasn't done. He engineered a frantic two?minute drive, ripping a sideline rope to Stefon Diggs and then finding Dalton Kincaid over the middle. The Bills scored on a quick slant at the goal line, and suddenly it was a three?point game again. The hot topic all over social right now? A borderline defensive holding call on that final drive that wiped out what would've been a miracle 4th?and-10 completion to Diggs. Buffalo fans are melting down over the flag, Chiefs fans are saying it was obvious. Welcome to modern NFL discourse.
Star Power Check: Who Balled Out?
- Patrick Mahomes (KC): ~320 passing yards, 3 TD, 0 INT – that's MVP?level calm in a hostile environment. His third?down efficiency late was the difference.
- Josh Allen (BUF): ~290 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, plus a rushing TD – a classic Allen roller coaster: unstoppable at times, but the one turnover loomed huge.
- Travis Kelce (KC): 8 catches, about 110 yards, 1 TD – every big moment, Mahomes looked his way. No surprise, just postseason?mode Kelce in January.
- Stefon Diggs (BUF): 7 catches, ~90 yards – clutch on the sidelines, but he'll be thinking about that wiped?out 4th?down grab all week.
On defense, Chris Jones wrecked a couple of drives with two massive sacks, including a third?down takedown in the red zone that forced Buffalo to settle for three instead of seven. Flip that into the final margin and you see how razor?thin the difference really was.
Other NFL Results Today: Scoreboard Mayhem
Elsewhere, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens kept their own Super Bowl push humming. Jackson put up roughly 260 passing yards, 2 TDs, and added close to 70 on the ground in a 27-20 win that felt a lot more comfortable than the final score. The big story: his efficiency. No interceptions, quick decisions, and he extended plays without taking unnecessary hits. The Ravens offense looked like a unit built for January.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals, meanwhile, had to grind. Facing a feisty defense, Burrow threw for about 245 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 pick in a tight 23-20 win. The Bengals leaned on Ja'Marr Chase, who hauled in a deep go ball for a long touchdown and repeatedly converted 3rd-and-medium. Burrow didn't look fully unstoppable, but he was ice cold on the final drive, milking the clock and slamming the door on any miracle comeback.
On the NFC side, a high?octane Minnesota offense turned into the Justin Jefferson show again. Jefferson stacked up something like 120+ receiving yards and a red?zone TD, terrorizing single coverage. Their QB (think 280+ yards, 3 TDs) kept feeding him on crossers and deep overs. The Vikings defense still gave up big chunk plays, but when your WR1 is that hot, the scoreboard stays in your favor.
How Today's NFL Scores Shake the Playoff Picture
So what do these NFL scores live mean for the bigger picture? The Chiefs staying hot behind Mahomes keeps them firmly in the hunt for prime seeding, while the Bills drop into dangerous territory, hovering on the edge of the wildcard mix. That one loss could be the difference between hosting a playoff game and hitting the road as a lower seed.
The Ravens and Bengals wins tighten the AFC North race; it's starting to look like one of them might have to survive the wildcard gauntlet despite playing like legit Super Bowl contenders. On the NFC side, Minnesota's surge keeps them relevant in both the divisional fight and wildcard chaos. Every game from here on out is effectively a playoff tie?breaker.
What does this mean for the playoff race? Check the current NFL picture here
If you're trying to map out who's climbing, who's collapsing, and who still has a shot at the Super Bowl, that live standings page is your best friend. Tonight's swings in the AFC alone reshuffle seeds, tie?breakers, and potential first?round matchups.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans are losing their minds over the late flag and that Mahomes-to-Kelce dagger
Beat Writer Take: Who's Really Built for February?
Watching Mahomes tonight, it's hard not to feel like the Chiefs are once again that team nobody actually wants to see in January. Every time Buffalo threatened, Mahomes had an answer. That 4th?down conversion was the kind of call and execution that separates contenders from pretenders. You don't win multiple rings without that ruthlessness.
But don't sleep on how costly this could be for the Bills. You can only play with fire in close games so many times before a bad turnover, a flag, or a blown coverage burns you. Allen was incredible for long stretches, but the margin for error in this conference is microscopic. One misread, one mistimed deep shot, and your entire playoff path changes.
In the bigger AFC picture, Lamar's Ravens still feel like the most complete roster: balanced offense, nasty defense, and a QB who can flip into MVP mode at any second. Burrow and the Bengals, once they’re fully healthy and synced, are that nightmare draw nobody wants. And then there’s Mahomes, just casually rewriting the expectations bar every single week.
Over in the NFC, Jefferson looks like the kind of wideout who can drag a team into any game, no matter the opponent. If Minnesota's defense even gets to "average plus," they’re going to be a nightmare matchup in a conference that doesn't have nearly as many elite QBs at the top.
Closing Whistle: Stay Locked In
The bottom line: today's NFL results weren't just about wild scores and viral touchdown highlights. They were about seeding, Super Bowl dreams, and legacies. Mahomes and Allen added another chapter to their rivalry, Lamar and Burrow kept the pressure cranked in the AFC, and Jefferson reminded everyone he's a cheat code on the outside.
If you're trying to track every ripple — the standings, the playoff picture, the race to the Super Bowl — you need the numbers in front of you.
See full NFL stats & standings
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