Andy Reid wore a Santa Claus suit in a happy Kansas City Chiefs locker room on Christmas Day, and then gave his team a gift that they have earned: home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
How Reid managed to get into the costume so quickly after Kansas City’s solid 29-10 win over the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers to secure the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven years remains unclear (though he hinted that an elf may have helped).
However, how Reid’s team continues to pull away from the competition year after year is clear.
A lot of Patrick Mahomes. A little bit of Travis Kelce. Some speed. A defense that quietly handles its work, even when its leader is sitting on the sideline in sweatpants.
Yes, it has been difficult at times — by Kansas City’s high standards — as they chase a third straight championship. But as the playoffs approach, the team that seemed vulnerable for much of the season now seems to be finding its rhythm.
And once again, the road to the Super Bowl will go through Arrowhead Stadium, just the way the Chiefs like it.
“Getting the No. 1 seed is important,” Mahomes said after throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. “It’s like winning a playoff game.”
Even though the way the Chiefs secured it didn’t quite feel like a playoff game.
Kansas City (15-1) spent three hours playing with the Steelers (10-6), like a cat batting at leftover wrapping paper. The Chiefs jumped to an early 13-point lead and Pittsburgh never really posed a serious threat, which has now lost three straight games, further damaging its chance to win the AFC North.
“That sucked, to be blunt,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
It usually does when Pittsburgh faces Mahomes. Mahomes is now 4-0 against the Steelers with 17 touchdowns and just one interception. He threw first-half touchdown passes to Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson and capped it off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kelce in the fourth quarter.
That touchdown was Kelce’s 77th career scoring catch, breaking a franchise record set by Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Kelce celebrated by dunking the ball over the goal post, copying Gonzalez’s signature move. The act earned him a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but it didn’t matter. Harrison Butker kicked a longer extra point, and the Chiefs were comfortably in charge.
“It’s just showing Tony some love,” Kelce said with a laugh, on the day he joined Gonzalez and Jason Witten as the only tight ends to reach 1,000 career receptions. Kelce finished with eight catches for 84 yards, playing for an offense that is beginning to regain its confidence.
The defense also performed well, even with five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Chris Jones out due to a calf injury. Jones’ teammates hardly looked worn out, despite playing for the third time in 11 days.
“It was tough,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “I mean, three games in 11 days is crazy for anybody. But I thought we handled it very well.”
The Steelers didn’t handle it well. Pittsburgh lost all three games in this stretch, facing Super Bowl contenders Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Kansas City, and looked outmatched in each one.
Perhaps the most concerning part for Pittsburgh is how these games played out. They lost each by at least 14 points and could end up starting the postseason on the road after losing a division lead they held just three weeks ago.
“I think that there’s highs and lows in every season,” Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson said after throwing for 205 yards with an ill-timed interception in the first quarter. “We’ve got to make sure that we end this last game on the right footing and right belief.”
That’s never been a problem for Kansas City. Not with Mahomes leading the way. He completed 29 passes to eight different players, including a career-high eight to Worthy and four to Hollywood Brown, whose return from injury has added another playmaker to the Chiefs’ growing list of weapons.
“We’re playing, especially offensively, our best football of the year,” Mahomes said.
It certainly looks that way. The two-time MVP appeared unaffected by the ankle injury he suffered against Cleveland, throwing touchdowns on Kansas City’s first two drives. And while the Steelers got within 13-7 and 16-10, they never had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the second half.
Instead, the Chiefs, who had struggled to pull away in the first three months of the season, surged to secure the No. 1 seed and several weeks of rest before their pursuit of a three-peat, which now seems very possible.
