The 71,112 fans packed into Highmark Stadium on Sunday witnessed a thrilling AFC clash as the Buffalo Bills outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-21.
The victory snapped the Chiefs’ bid for an undefeated season and strengthened Buffalo’s claim as a top contender, potentially setting the stage for the AFC playoffs to run through Western New York.
But regardless of team allegiance, every fan left the stadium having experienced what some are calling a signature performance in the “Josh Allen Experience.”
Wide receiver Amari Cooper, new to Buffalo and only three games into his tenure with the team, had yet to fully appreciate Allen’s unique skill set – until now.
“The Josh Allen experience, with this magnitude, has been phenomenal, man,” Cooper said after the win. “He’s a great player. The old adage, big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations, and that’s exactly what he did.”
“When you’re a kid, man, and you’re dreaming of football, this is the stage that you dream about. You don’t really dream about the ends that aren’t meaningful, you’re dreaming about the meaningful games against the best teams. So we were in it.
“It doesn’t come around that often, especially if you aren’t on a very good team. Any player who has been in this league a long time, most of the guys haven’t always been on good teams, that’s how it swings in this league.”
Cooper proceeded to admit that yesterday was “the first time in a long time that (he) actually felt joy from winning a game.”
Some people took that comment as a shot at Cooper’s old team, the Cleveland Browns.
Cooper went on to explain how enjoyable it is to play on such a close, tight-knit group. “Just the way we played,” he said. “From having so many guys on the team who are playmakers, and they come up and they show up when their number is called. Collectively as a group, it’s just amazing.
“It’s a tight-knit group, I would say. A lot of the guys go out together. They hang out with each other 24/7, and it truly shows up on the field. It truly does.”
As for Allen, he delivered yet another electric performance, throwing for 262 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. However, it was his game-sealing, 26-yard fourth-down scramble for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter that left the crowd and his teammates in awe.
For players who’ve shared a locker room with the 28-year-old quarterback, even they admit Allen’s athletic feats continue to astonish.
“When Josh takes off, I find myself just watching, like, ‘Wow, he’s different,’” wide receiver Khalil Shakir said following the win. “When he took off today, I just started yelling. I couldn’t stop yelling. I was blanking in the head.”
Tight end Dawson Knox echoed the sentiment, marveling at Allen’s ability to deliver in high-pressure moments.
“As soon as I saw him get past the line of scrimmage, I kind of knew he was scoring,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “And even though there’s a linebacker, two DBs right in front of him, I’ve seen it a hundred times from him in the most important situations, he seems to do that all the time and it’s incredible to watch.”
The win marked Buffalo’s sixth straight and sent the team into their bye week with major momentum. The Bills will return to action on December 1 to face another dangerous opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, as they continue their pursuit of a Super Bowl title.
This is looking more and more like the best Bills team of the Allen-era … Is this the year Buffalo finally captures the Lombardi Trophy???
