In the final game of the NFL Divisional Round, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to defeat the Buffalo Bills in a thriller. Here are three key takeaways from the game.

Sunday evening in Buffalo as many expected was arguably the best game of the playoffs between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. These two are no strangers to playing each other in big games in both the regular season and the playoffs. However, in recent years, the Bills have always been the team on the road, and this time they finally got their crack at Kansas City at home.

Unfortunately for the Bills, despite a great crowd at home, they came up short once again against Kansas City. The Chiefs were able to secure a 27-24 win, as the Bills were unable to tie or take the lead back late in the fourth quarter. With the win, the Chiefs will be moving on to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. However, here are three key takeaways from a great game on Sunday.

Buffalo can’t get over the hump

Another year has gone by with the Buffalo Bills struggling to reach their goals in the NFL Playoffs. A lot of credit has to go out to the team, as they were able to turn around a slow start to the season into winning the division.

Unfortunately for the Bills, they want to be in the Super Bowl but have yet to be able to beat the Chiefs despite numerous close calls. Now, the Bills will once again be heading into an offseason trying to find a way to get better. However, with Allen’s cap hit going up next season, improving the roster around him is going to be challenging.

Pacheco is an emerging star

While the Chiefs’ offense has taken a lot of criticism this season, one player that has come into his own is running back Isiah Pacheco. In the win, Pacheco ran the ball extremely well for the Chiefs, as he totaled 97 rushing yards on 15 carries. Pacheco was also able to find the endzone again, which has been a strong suit for him.

The ability for Pacheco to keep running the football has created a lot of balance for the Chiefs on offense, which is something they haven’t had in a long time. At the end of the game, it was Pacheco who iced the Bills with a couple of nice runs. In years past, it likely would have been Mahomes having to throw the ball to secure a win. As we saw against Buffalo in a tough road game, Pacheco isn’t afraid of the moment.

Kelce shakes it off

While it hasn’t been an easy season for Travis Kelce with the distractions and a poor second half of the season, he looked like the Kelce of old against the Buffalo Bills. In the win, Kelce totaled five receptions, 75 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. Kelce led the Chiefs in all major receiving categories, as it was his best game in quite some time.

With Kelce playing like the Kelce of old, the sky is the limit for the Chiefs.