The Kansas City Chiefs dropped their first game of the season on Sunday, falling to the Buffalo Bills on the road.

Here are some quick notes from the loss, beginning with some of the good things that happened on Sunday.

1. Despite the outcome, there were some positives for the Chiefs offensively that Kansas City can build on moving forward.

The Chiefs hung in there offensively throughout Sunday's game amidst a tough start and a raucous environment. The Bills picked off quarterback Patrick Mahomes on just the second play of the game and quickly took a six-point lead early in the first quarter, but Kansas City answered with an 88-yard scoring drive two possessions later to move in front. The man responsible for the score, wide receiver Xavier Worthy, recorded four catches and 61 receiving yards on that series alone.

Buffalo then answered with a touchdown drive of its own, but the Chiefs responded with another scoring series late in the second quarter.

Lastly, despite falling behind by nine points early in the fourth quarter, Mahomes engineered a 70-yard scoring drive that cut the deficit to just two points with less than eight minutes remaining in the game. Tailback Kareem Hunt, who rushed for 60 yards on 14 carries, contributed with a 17-yard run as part of the series.

It ultimately wasn't enough in the end, but the Chiefs hung in there with Buffalo blow-for-blow until the game's final minutes. The most encouraging thing to take from the game was the Chiefs' red zone efficiency, which finished 3-for-3 in terms of red zone touchdown scoring.

All that being said, Kansas City's inability to score on either of its first two possessions of the second half – either of which would have taken the lead – marked one of the critical differences in the game. That's an aspect of Sunday's game the Chiefs will hopefully learn from moving forward.

Patrick Mahomes said as much following the game:

"We have to have a better sense of urgency, [and] I have to have a better sense of urgency, throughout the entire game," Mahomes said.

2. Tight end Noah Gray recorded the first multi-touchdown game of his career.

Gray hauled in a pair of touchdowns on Sunday in what marked one of the best games of his career. His first touchdown grab – which took place on third down – took the lead for Kansas City late in the second quarter, and his second score pulled the Chiefs within two points late in the game.

The veteran tight end rarely gets the credit he deserves as a valuable player who does a little bit of everything, so his two-touchdown performance on Sunday is worthy of some well-earned praise.

Gray now has 23 catches for 249 yards on the season, which means he's already approaching his career bests (28 catches and 305 receiving yards) with seven games left to play.

3. Safety Chamarri Conner recorded a critical interception that briefly led to a Chiefs' lead.

Conner made one of the biggest defensive plays of the game when he picked off quarterback Josh Allen – on fourth down, no less – midway through the second quarter. The play thwarted a Bills possession that had moved into Chiefs territory while also setting up a Kansas City touchdown drive, representing a potential 14-point swing.

It was just Allen's fifth interception of the season, and in a game that came down to the final possession, Conner's play was a significant one.

4. The Bills simply made a few more plays in the end.

As is seemingly always the case when the Chiefs and Bills get together, Sunday's game came down to just a handful of plays. Kansas City made some of them, but in the end, Buffalo just made a few more.

For example, the Bills converted (or moved the chains via a penalty) six times on 3rd-and-6 or longer. Two of those happened on the Bills' opening scoring drive, another happened on Buffalo's second scoring series, then another on the Bills' third touchdown drive.

Lastly, the Bills converted a 3rd-and-9 on their final possession prior to Josh Allen's touchdown run a few plays later. If the Chiefs had stopped the Bills on that play, it's likely Buffalo – which was at the Chiefs' 44-yard line – would have punted the ball away. Still, despite those conversions, Kansas City still had an opportunity to reclaim possession of the ball while trailing by only two points. Allen made a tremendous play, however, and that proved to be the difference in the game.

The Chiefs often make those plays when it matters most, but in this case, Buffalo deserves credit for coming through in the clutch.

5. Here's how the AFC playoff picture looks heading into Week 12.

Despite Sunday's loss, the Chiefs still control their own destiny for the top seed in the AFC.

Kansas City possesses a one-game advantage over Buffalo in the standings, but due to Sunday's game, the Bills now own the head-to-head tie-breaker. So, the Chiefs must at least match Buffalo in the win column over the final seven weeks of the season in order to maintain their one-game lead and secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture, which includes a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the postseason.

As for the AFC West, the Chiefs currently own a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Chargers. It's still a few weeks away, but Kansas City's matchup with Los Angeles in Week 14 (on Sunday Night Football) is shaping up to be a big one.

In the meantime, Kansas City will aim to get back on track this weekend with a matchup against the Carolina Panthers on deck.