The Kansas City Chiefs will get a week of rest at the beginning of the 2024 NFL Playoffs after clinching the top seed in the AFC with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
This is the fourth time in seven seasons that the Chiefs, who now have a 15-1 record, were the best team in the AFC during the regular season.
The Chiefs left it late in several games this season, but that wasn’t the case against the Steelers. They rushed to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and then kept Pittsburgh at bay before exploding for another 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes delivered one of his best games of the season despite playing with an ankle sprain. He completed 28 out of 39 passes while throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Mahomes said that the bye will help the Chiefs get healthier as they embark on a quest to get their third Super Bowl in a row.
“It’s just going to be nice getting guys healthy,” said Mahomes. “I think this was the earliest [regular-season] bye I’ve ever had just in general. To kind of have this grind of whatever it is — I think we had our bye Week 6 — so it’s like almost 10 weeks of just football and grinding and then this short schedule at the very end of the year. “
