The Chiefs secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their franchise-record 15th win; Lamar Jackson makes history with the Ravens’ loss on Christmas Day

The Chiefs secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their franchise-record 15th win; Lamar Jackson makes history with the Ravens’ loss on Christmas Day



CNN

The Kansas City Chiefs secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their franchise-record 15th win after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

As the top seed, the reigning two-time Super Bowl champion secured the only bye in the first round and home advantage in the playoffs.

“I thought it was a complete team effort, the defense got stronger, the offense got stronger. “Everyone left their mark on the game,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said after the game. “I told my pregnant wife that I would get her the number one seed so we could have the baby. So we got the one seed.”

It was a record day for the Chiefs’ stars – Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce – at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

The three-time Super Bowl winner broke Hall of Famer Peyton Manning’s record for most career touchdown passes in his first eight seasons.

Leading 22-10 in the fourth quarter, Mahomes threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kelce for his 245th touchdown pass. Kelce received his 77th career receiving touchdown, surpassing Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez for the most touchdown receptions in franchise history.

“Tony was a mentor to me,” Kelce said after the win. “I feel like I’m still trying to follow in that guy’s footsteps. He is such an incredible competitor and I felt so much love for him. It’s just an honor to even be in conversation with him.”

Mahomes finished 29 of 38 for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Kelce, who had eight receptions for 84 yards, also became the third tight end in league history with at least 1,000 receptions.

With the win, Kansas City became the second defending champion to win 15 games in a season. The 2011 Green Bay Packers were 15-1 that season.

Kansas City (15-1) ends its season next week on the road against the Denver Broncos.

Pittsburgh struggled offensively, as quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times and threw an interception in the end zone. Wilson had 205 passing yards in the loss.

The Steelers (10-6) look to end their three-game losing streak in next week’s season finale at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lamar Jackson made NFL history with the Baltimore Ravens' stunning victory over the Houston Texans.

In the second of two games on Christmas Day, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans 31-2 at NRG Stadium in the so-called “Beyoncé Bowl.”

It was the usual quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry show for Baltimore.

The two-time Most Valuable Player also sprinkled in a bit of history in the loss.

In the third quarter, Jackson ran for six yards, giving him 87 rushing yards on the day and 6,110 for his career. The mark surpasses Michael Vick to become the NFL’s all-time leading rushing quarterback despite playing 41 fewer games.

With 168 passing yards, 87 rushing yards and three total touchdowns, Jackson bolstered his resume for his second straight MVP award.

From the jump it was all Ravens.

“King Henry” didn’t waste much time, finding the end zone with a two-yard rush to give the Ravens the early lead. Longtime kicker Justin Tucker scored a field goal late in the first quarter.

In football, you score points however you can score them, and that’s exactly what the Texans did.

Henry was hit by Houston cornerback Kamari Lassiter in the Baltimore end zone, resulting in a safety and a 10-2 lead.

Just before halftime, Jackson and the Ravens’ stirring offense would not be silenced after he found tight end Isaiah Likely for a nine-yard touchdown to make the score 17-2.

After Beyoncé gave fans and Netflix viewers a “Cowboy Carter” Christmas at halftime, it was more of the same for both teams. And no, according to the Netflix broadcast, Jackson didn’t watch the halftime show, despite announcing he would earlier in the week.

Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton fended off Houston quarterback CJ Stroud on the first possession after halftime. Baltimore wasn’t finished there.

Jackson broke off a 48-yard rush for a touchdown, extending the lead to 24-2 and silencing an already tame Houston crowd.

It didn’t stop there.

Jackson found tight end Mark Andrews for a one-yard touchdown and the lead grew to 31-2.

In the fourth quarter, Jackson took a seat on the bench with the game out of reach.

Jackson credited his teammates for helping him accomplish the feat.

“I’m grateful, I’m grateful and I have a great group of people by my side to help me through this process,” Jackson said on Netflix after the game.

The Ravens improve to 11-5 this season and host their AFC North divisional opponent, the Cleveland Browns, to close out the regular season. Baltimore can win the division with a Steelers win or loss next week.

The Texans fall to 9-7 and travel to Nashville next week to take on the Tennessee Titans.

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