Bitter Bills fans throw snowballs at Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs players after loss

The Buffalo Bills hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in a snow-covered Highmark Stadium on Sunday night for the AFC Divisional Round. It was the most anticipated game of the season — Patrick Mahomes' first road test in the playoffs, and a chance for Buffalo to excise their Kansas City demons.

Safe the say the game lived up to the hype.

After a back-and-forth first half, the second half featured several staunch defensive stands interspersed with wild swings of momentum. With under two minutes left, Buffalo had a chance to tie the game and potentially force overtime with a 44-yard field goal. Unfortunately, Tyler Bass' kick went... wide right.

The Chiefs won the game 27-24, advancing to their sixth straight AFC championship game. Patrick Mahomes is quickly gaining on Tom Brady's New England Patriots record. The Buffalo faithful, as expected, were unmoored by the sudden dissolution of their season.

As Chiefs players danced on the sideline and celebrated their hard-fought victory, Bills Mafia took to launching snowballs from the stands.

Bills Mafia launches snowballs at opponent after loss to Chiefs

That is Travis Kelce politely waiving 'goodnight' to the Highmark crowd while getting barraged with compact, snow-based projectiles.

Chris Jones was subjected to similar treatment, but he made the most of it with an expressive dance. Buffalo fans were only feeding the beast at this point.

We were also witness to Patrick Mahomes' elite athleticism and unmatched reaction time. Here is the future Hall of Fame quarterback effortlessly ducking snowballs on his way to greet Kansas City fans.

This loss plain sucks for Buffalo fans. It's not hard to sympathize with Bills Mafia. This was their moment. Mahomes never faced Josh Allen on the road before, in this environment. Mahomes cited the great atmosphere in his postgame interview, but that won't provide any consolation for the Bills fans who braved the elements only to experience the pang of heartbreak. At some point, Buffalo's efforts to topple Kansas City start to feel futile.

Buffalo had every opportunity, aided by Mecole Hardman's fourth-quarter fumble out of the end zone and one of the worst rules in football. That missed kick is the perfect encapsulation of this era of Bills football. All the pieces are there, but when push comes to shove, the Bills simply can't get over the hump, due to one back-breaking mistake or another.

The Chiefs will brush the snow off their uniforms and celebrate in style tonight. Then, preparation starts for a high-profile showdown with the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens next Sunday. That game will also be played on the road. We will see if the Chiefs can muster another airtight performance against an even stiffer opponent.