The Chiefs take care of the Steelers and conquer the top seed in the AFC

The Chiefs take care of the Steelers and conquer the top seed in the AFC

PITTSBURGH – The Kansas City Chiefs achieved their final regular season goal on Wednesday – still with one game left.

The Chiefs secured first place in the AFC playoffs at 15-1 with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They receive a first-round playoff bye and play all of their postseason games (prior to Super Bowl LIX) at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs will end the regular season next weekend with a game against the Broncos in Denver.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all of today’s action, answered lingering questions about each game and detailed everything else you need to know for each team. Let’s get down to business.

Most surprising performance: Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna took advantage of increased playing time in Chris Jones’ absence to make a big pass-rushing play. Danna, who entered the game with 1.5 sacks this season, sacked Russell Wilson twice (the Chiefs had five sacks total).

QB collapse: Patrick Mahomes finally got the deep ball he had been pushing for most of the season. Mahomes’ 49-yard pass to Justin Watson in the first quarter traveled 40 yards, making it his second-longest pass of the season. His TD to Xavier Worthy in Week 4 against the Chargers went 54 yards through the air.

Forecast for next week: Now that they have secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, the Chiefs will use as many of their key players as is reasonably possible in next week’s regular-season finale against the Broncos. The list includes players with injuries like Mahomes and Chris Jones, but could also include Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy. These players will have an extended break while the Chiefs receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs. — Adam Teicher

Next game: at Broncos (January 5, TBD)


Is there anything worse than getting coal on Christmas morning? A loss on Christmas afternoon.

The Steelers continued their late-season slide, losing for the third straight season. For the third week in a row, the Steelers lacked the complementary football that helped them win earlier in the season. Even the returns of George Pickens, Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott couldn’t do enough for the Steelers to overcome offensive errors and defensive errors that led to more wide touchdowns.

The Steelers have already secured a playoff spot, but they are in grave danger of losing the division title and a home playoff game in the first round. They are no longer in control of their destiny to win the division and need at least one loss to Baltimore to have a shot at the title.

QB collapse: Despite facing a defensive front that was missing a key player in Jones, Wilson still struggled with inconsistent performance. Not only was he sacked five times for 43 yards, but Wilson also had his second red zone turnover in as many games. This time he was intercepted in the end zone by Justin Reid as he tried to force the ball to Pat Freiermuth.

Wilson’s ball security was also an issue for the second week in a row as he dropped the ball to escape pressure in the first series. He recovered the fumble, but it was almost an even more disastrous start for the Steelers. Despite his mistakes, Wilson had moments of brilliance, including two first-down passes to Freiermuth en route to a scoring drive capped by Wilson’s one-yard touchdown run. Wilson finished 23 of 37 for 205 yards.

Describe the game in two words: uncover loss. Thanks to the return of several key players, the Steelers had a chance to turn things around – or at least turn things around – against a strong team that was playing without its best defender. Instead, they took more heat with a significant loss and don’t appear to be a team that could make a splash in the playoffs.

Worrying trend: The Steelers allowed 13 touchdowns in the first quarter, the most in the league, including two to the Chiefs on Wednesday. Not only did the Chiefs get on the field twice in the first frame, but the points were scored on consecutive drives. The first time, the Chiefs scored on a short field after a subpar punt by Corliss Waitman, and the second time, the Steelers secondary gave up a 49-yard pass from Mahomes to Watson to set up a touchdown from the two three-pointers later. These touchdowns gave the Steelers a 13-0 lead after just 11 minutes.

Promising trend: Jaylen Warren is better than Najee Harris. The once-undrafted free agent is finally healthy after nagging injuries limited his role for much of the season, and for the second straight week he played a larger role than former first-round pick Harris. Warren averaged 6.5 yards per carry and had five catches for 41 yards. — Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. Bengals (January 5, TBD)

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