Mahomes vs Allen goes nuclear as AFC powers shake up playoff race live

NFL results today: Mahomes and Allen trade bombs in a wild shootout while Lamar and Burrow tighten the AFC race. One flag late has everyone losing it.

Touchdown! As of today, 2026-01-31, the gridiron is on fire... You came looking for NFL results today, and the scoreboard did not disappoint. From quarterbacks dropping dimes to defenses getting absolutely torched, this slate had everything: clutch fourth downs, red zone chaos, and one end?game flag that has the entire league talking.

The headliner? Another instant classic in the AFC, with two of the games biggest arms going throw?for?throw and dragging the NFL scores live ticker into overdrive. Even in a league that lives off drama, this one felt different  it was pure playoff energy from the opening snap.

Mahomes vs. Allen: Another Chapter in a Wild Rivalry

This one had that January feel. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen turned the night into a quarterback clinic, piling up stats that looked straight out of a video game.

• Patrick Mahomes: 29/41, 342 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, plus 32 rushing yards.
• Josh Allen: 27/39, 318 passing yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 64 rushing yards and a rushing TD.

The opening quarter was all fireworks. Mahomes hit a 48-yard bomb on a slot fade, then came back with a tight-window dart on third-and-9 that had no business being completed. On the other side, Allen answered with a laser over the middle between two safeties, then pulled off a fourth-and-3 designed QB power where he lowered the shoulder and trucked a linebacker at the sticks. That was the tone: nobody backing down, no punts by choice.

The defining stretch came late in the fourth. Down one score, Allen ripped a 34-yard strike on a deep over, then dropped a back?pylon touchdown off his back foot to cap a 10-play drive. The place went nuts, #BillsMafia (and the hashtag timeline) absolutely melting down. But you knew it: Mahomes had too much time left.

With just over a minute on the clock, Mahomes went full signature mode. He stepped up from a collapsing pocket, found his checkdown ripping up the sideline for 22, then hit back-to-back sideline outs to stop the clock. The dagger came on a broken?play scramble drill: he rolled right, spun back left to avoid a free rusher, then delivered a cross?body rope to the front pylon for the go?ahead TD. That throw alone is going to live in touchdown highlights all over YouTube tonight.

The controversy? Allen drove back into fringe field goal range with under 20 seconds left, only for a ticky?tack offensive pass interference flag to wipe out a huge sideline gain. Instead of a 50?ish yard kick to win it, the Bills were pushed back and forced into a desperation heave. The final Hail Mary hung in the air forever, pinballed off three helmets, and just hit the turf. The stadium gasped, and the internet instantly picked a side.

Lamar, Burrow and the AFC Chessboard

While Mahomes and Allen were turning the scoreboard into a pinball machine, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow kept grinding in games that mattered just as much for the NFL standings and the playoff picture.

Lamar Jackson wasnt just a runner today  he commanded the pocket. He finished with 262 passing yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs and tacked on 81 rushing yards. The key sequence came in the third quarter on a long drive where he converted back?to?back third-and-7+ situations with anticipation throws over the middle, then capped it with a read?option keeper where he left a defensive end grasping air. That touchdown swing flipped control of the game for good.

Joe Burrow, meanwhile, gutted out a tough one. He went 25/36 for 271 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, and most of his damage came on timing routes against tight man coverage. His best throw? A back?shoulder dime on the sideline on fourth-and-goal from the 6 when the defense sold out to stop the slant. It was icy, the kind of throw you only call if you trust your guy completely. The lone interception came on a tipped ball at the line, but otherwise he looked in full control of the offense.

And dont sleep on the receivers. Justin Jefferson was his usual alien self, hauling in 9 catches for 124 yards and a TD. He made a toe?tap grab on the sideline where he somehow got both feet down while his body was basically horizontal. That play doesnt just live in the box score; its going to be looping on highlight packages all week.

What It Means for the Playoff Picture

So how does all this chaos reshape the playoff race? Mahomes squad just grabbed a massive seeding edge with the head?to?head result, while Allens side is staring at a tighter wild card battle than anyone expected a month ago. Lamar and Burrow both stayed firmly in the mix, but the margin for error is shrinking fast. Every drive from here feels like it comes with a seasonlevel price tag.

What does this mean for the playoff race? Check the current NFL picture here

Social Media Spotlight: The Call Everyones Arguing About

If youre wondering what the timeline is doing right now: its arguing. That late offensive PI flag in the Mahomes-Allen showdown has become the Hot Topic. Half the league insists it was a clear push?off, the other half calls it a robbery in crunch time. Freeze?frame screenshots, slowed?down clips, and all?22 breakdowns are everywhere.

Beat Writer Take: This Felt Like January, Not Just Another Week

Heres the thing: some regular?season games just play like playoff games, and this slate was exactly that. Mahomes and Allen didnt just put up numbers for fantasy; they shifted how the entire conference is going to be seeded. That one flag? It doesnt just change a drive. It can swing home?field advantage, who gets the bye, who ends up on the road in a snow game. You could feel both sidelines coaching like their season was on the line.

From where Im sitting, Mahomes looked flat?out MVP?level again. The creativity off script, the poise when the protection cracked, the way he kept testing deep even when safeties sagged  thats the guy you dont want to see in January. Allen was a heartbeat away from that same story being told about him; change that PI call and tonights discourse is flipped.

Lamar and Burrow? Both looked like quarterbacks you can build a Super Bowl run around. Lamars pocket growth keeps showing up in money situations, and Burrows chemistry with his weapons means every third-and-medium feels like an offensive advantage instead of a defensive one.

Bottom line: if this is the energy were getting already, the actual postseason is going to be chaos in the best possible way.

Closing Whistle: Dont Blink, the Race Is Tightening

The NFL results today didnt just give us wild touchdown highlights; they tightened the screws on the entire league. Every win and loss is reshuffling seeds, tiebreakers, and which sideline gets to host in January. Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, Burrow, Jefferson  the stars showed up, and the standings are feeling it.

If youre trying to track exactly where your team sits and how that controversial finish or clutch drive changed the math, you need the full picture, not just the scoreboard.

See full NFL stats & standings

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