The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas.
Patrick Mahomes completed 29 of 38 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns for the Chiefs. Kansas City’s 19-point margin of victory was their best of the season.
Russell Wilson, on the other hand, completed only 23 of 37 passes for 205 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
The Chiefs dominated most of the action. Each of their first two possessions were long drives that resulted in touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Steelers’ first two drives combined to pick up only one yard across eight plays. Kansas City raced out to a 13-0 lead before Pittsburgh finally got on board in the second quarter.
The teams traded field goals to start the second half before the Chiefs scored two straight touchdowns, one that was set up by a Pat Freiermuth fumble.
The win was a change of pace for Kansas City, which has often played in one-possession games this season. On Christmas, the Chiefs were never really threatened by a Steelers offense that couldn’t move the ball consistently through the air.
In addition to a lack of big plays passing, Wilson was also sacked five times. Pittsburgh did have some success rushing, however, gaining 202 yards on 31 carries.
At 15-1, Kansas City is guaranteed home field throughout the playoffs. The Chiefs will now have the option of resting key players in the final week of the season. Mahomes sprained his ankle in Week 16, while defensive tackle Chris Jones missed Wednesday’s game.
Kansas City’s next game is against the Denver Broncos.
The Steelers are now 10-6 after their three-game slide. Their final game of the season is against the Cincinnati Bengals.
