Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs came into the Week 17 matchup against the Steelers knowing that if they got a win on Christmas afternoon, it would officially make them the top seed in the AFC. They did so with minimal fuss after noticing a 29-10 victory on the road.
They are now 15-1 for the season with just one week remaining. Their nearest competitor in the conference is the Buffalo Bills, who are 12-3 and, therefore, have no hope of catching Kansas City.
In the process, Patrick Mahomes threw his 245th career touchdown. That is one more than Peyton Manning, the previous record holder, had over his first eight NFL seasons. Given the Chiefs star was not even the starter in his rookie season, it was a monumental achievement.
His good friend and offensive weapon, Travis Kelce, also created a history of his own with his 77th receiving touchdown for Kansas City. He beat the franchise record previously held by Tony Gonzalez.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
With everything going their way, Patrick Mahomes knew whom to thank for their good fortune on Christmas Day. He took to X/Twitter to write,
"God is good!"
Patrick Mahomes returns to faith in challenging times for the Chiefs
The Chiefs are 15-1 and one would assume that they have had a smooth ride in the 2024 NFL season so far. That could not be further from the truth as they have become the masters of winning close games. It has coincided with Kansas City missing critical players, especially on offense, like Isiah Pacheco, Hollywood Brown, and JuJu Smith-Schuster in stretches during the year.
However, the biggest scare came when Patrick Mahomes had to leave the game early against the Browns in Week 15. There were fears he might not be able to play against the Texans last week but he recovered in time to lead his team to a victory. Even then, the Chiefs' star had thanked God.
Kansas City players had complained about playing three games in 11 days without having the benefit of a mini-bye during the season. Yet, they navigated all with the minimum amount of fuss and have now locked up the AFC top seed and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
If they win the final game too they will finish with the best record across both AFC and NFC. That could also become true this week if both the Lions and the Vikings lose in Week 17.
Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.