The Bills-Chiefs rivalry has become a seemingly annual marquee event in the NFL playoffs.
Not only do the teams meet often in January, but when they do downright classic games seem to always play out.
Sunday night was no different. The two exchanged blows for the first three-plus quarters. Kansas City retook the lead, 27-24, early in the fourth quarter and Buffalo seemed headed for its turn with the lead again after Josh Allen ran for eight yards to open the possession.
But former Notre Dame star linebacker Drue Tranquill had different plans, and his next three plays changed the tide in the thriller.
With Buffalo facing a second-and-2, Tranquill blew through the line of scrimmage and stopped James Cook for a loss of three. Instead of third-and-short or a potential first down, the Bills were behind schedule facing a third-and-5.
Former Purdue star George Karlaftis batted away Allen’s third-down pass attempt, and the Bills blinked.
Buffalo called a fake punt when Kansas City had just 10 players on the field on fourth down. Despite being short-handed, Tranquill read the fake, took out two blockers and allowed Cole Christensen and Leo Chenal to stop Demar Hamlin after a gain of just two.
The game went from exciting to just downright crazy from there. A Kansas City fumble out of the end zone and another wide right field goal attempt from Buffalo would have been laughed out of a Hollywood script meeting.
At the end of the day, that 27-24 lead proved enough for the Chiefs as they head to the AFC Championship game yet again. And the 27 proved enough largely because of what Tranquill did to start the quarter.
Check out photos of Tranquill from the Chiefs epic victory below: