Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs secured first place in the AFC for the fourth time in seven seasons with a 29-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champions jumped out to an early 13-point lead and were never threatened by the Steelers (10-6), who have lost three straight as their chances of winning the AFC North took another hit.

Mahomes scored in the first half with shots to Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson, while Kansas City’s defense did most of the rest, even with longtime All-Pro defenseman Chris Jones out with a calf injury.

The Chiefs sacked Russell Wilson five times, forced two turnovers and hardly looked gassed as they played for the third time in 11 days.

Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 84 yards, joining Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten as the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions.

Kelce sealed Kansas City’s fifth straight win with a 12-yard score early in the fourth quarter, breaking Gonzalez’s all-time franchise record for touchdown catches with the 77th of his career.

Statistics guide

Kansas City Chiefs:

• Consist: Patrick Mahomes, 29/38, 320 yards, 3 touchdowns
• Rush: Kareem Hunt, 9 carries, 20 yards, 1 touchdown
• Reception: Travis Kelce, 8 catches, 84 yards, 1 TD

Pittsburgh Steelers:

• Consist: Russell Wilson, 23/37, 205 yards, 1 INT
• Rush: Najee Harris, 13 carries, 74 yards
• Reception: Pat Freiermuth, 7 catches, 60 yards

Mahomes is now 4-0 in his career against the Steelers, with 17 touchdowns against one interception.

Russell Wilson threw for 205 yards for Pittsburgh, while George Pickens finished with three balls for 50 yards after missing three games with a hamstring injury.

It wasn’t nearly enough for the Steelers, as they lost 3-0 in brutal three games against Super Bowl contenders Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City. The Steelers lost every game by at least 14 points and now face the prospect of starting the playoffs on the road.

Mahomes, apparently unbothered by the ankle injury he suffered against Cleveland, led the Chiefs to touchdowns on their first two drives, finding Worthy in the flat for a seven-yard score and hitting Watson in the back corner of the end zone, to score 13th -0.

A sequence late in the first quarter symbolized a frustrating day for Pittsburgh. A holding penalty negated a short touchdown run by Jaylen Warren, and Wilson threw into triple coverage in the end zone on the next snap. Kansas City’s Justin Reid had little trouble grabbing the ball and ending the threat.

The Steelers pulled within six points twice at 13:7 and 16:10, but never had a chance to take the lead in the second half. Instead, the Chiefs methodically retreated.

Kareem Hunt ran over the goal from two meters in the first snap of the fourth quarter and increased the score to 22:10. Pat Freiermuth then fumbled on Pittsburgh’s next possession, with Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton falling on the ball and Mahomes needed just four plays to place a pass to a wide-open Kelce and put him out of reach.