The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC will run through Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium once again.
After a 29-10 thumping of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas Chiefs improved to 15-1 and clinched the AFCs No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
The 19-point victory for Kansas City was its largest margin of victory this season, just ahead of a 14-point victory of the Browns two weeks ago.
Patrick Mahomes was excellent, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with star tight end Travis Kelce eight times for 84 yards and a touchdown.
The touchdown for Kelce moved him into first place all-time in receiving touchdowns for Kansas City, passing Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez.
The biggest story of the day was the Kansas City defense. Without star defensive tackle Chris Jones, the Chiefs held Pittsburgh to just 10 points and forced two turnovers.
Kansas City did allow 202 yards rushing but still kept Pittsburgh out of the endzone for a majority of the game, and Kansas City expects its run defense to sure up once Jones returns in either Week 18 or the playoffs.
An early turning point in the game came with Pittsburgh first turnover.
After a Jaylen Warren rushing touchdown was called back due to a holding penalty, Justin Reid intercepted Russell Wilson‘s next pass attempt. Wilson struggled, throwing for just 205 yards and an interception.
With the victory and clinching the No. 1 seed, Kansas City will have the option of resting its best players in Week 18 against the Broncos.
If the Chiefs decide to rest their players, it will be over three weeks before they play their first playoff game on Jan. 18 or 19.
