Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown and ran for another as the Kansas City Chiefs improved to a 14-1 NFL record on Saturday while the Baltimore Ravens beat Pittsburgh to secure a playoff spot .
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs beat Houston 27-19 and only need one more win or loss by the Buffalo Bills (11-3) to clinch first place and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Mahomes completed 28 of 41 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown and ran five times for 33 yards and a touchdown, quickly signaling that he had recovered from a high left ankle sprain suffered in a win against Cleveland last weekend.
“To go out there and find a way to win with everyone was a good moment for us,” Mahomes said. “Our offensive line did a great job accepting the challenge.”
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns and Derrick Henry ran for 162 yards as the Ravens beat the Steelers 34-17 to clinch an NFL playoff berth.
“We knew what kind of game it was going to be,” Jackson said. “I feel like we played a better game against those guys and we got there. It feels good.”
After four losses in his previous five games with Pittsburgh, Jackson was happy to “get rid of the little monkey for the moment.”
The Steelers and Ravens, both 10-5 and sharing the AFC North division lead, are alongside the Chiefs, Bills and Texans in clinching an AFC playoff berth. Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia earned NFC playoff berths.
“We just have to keep going,” Jackson said. “We need to stay connected.”
The four teams in action Saturday will play again on Christmas with Baltimore at Houston and the Chiefs at Pittsburgh next Wednesday, their third game in 11 days.
“I’m going to get up a little bit and watch some film,” Mahomes said.
Singer Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was among those who saw the team go a perfect 8-0 at home for the first time since 2003.
The Chiefs won their 11th game this season by eight points or fewer, a stunning success rate in one-score contests.
Kansas City safety Jaden Hicks intercepted a CJ Stroud pass to set up an 11-play, 66-yard Chiefs touchdown drive that was capped when Mahomes raced 15 yards to the end zone.
Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 33-yard field goal and Stroud’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Stroud gave Houston a 10-7 lead, but Kareem Hunt’s 3-yard touchdown run and 44-yard field goal from Harrison Butker gave the Chiefs a 17-10 lead. half-time.
– Serious injury for Dell –
Just 3:20 into the second half, Stroud threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell, but the third-year receiver suffered a serious left leg injury when he was hit by teammate Jared Wayne in the back of the end zone. he fell on the grass.
The game was stopped for several minutes with Texans players in tears as Dell, his leg in a cast, was placed on a stretcher and taken off the field in a gurney and to a nearby hospital.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game Dell suffered a “significant” injury and would be hospitalized overnight, adding, “It hurts to see him go down like that.”
After the emotional delay, Fairbairn missed the extra kick on Dell’s touchdown, leaving the Chiefs ahead 17-16.
Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy on an 8-yard touchdown pass and Fairbairn and Butker traded late scores for the final scores.
In Baltimore, Jackson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely gave the Ravens the lead, but MyCole Pruitt caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson as Pittsburgh pulled to level 7-7.
Jackson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman and Baltimore’s Justin Tucker and Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell exchanged 51-yard field goals to leave the Ravens ahead 17-10 at halftime.
They traded touchdown passes in the third quarter, with Wilson connecting 12 yards to Cordarrelle Patterson and Jackson responding with a 7-yard toss to Mark Andrews.
Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown and Tucker added a late 23-yard field goal to seal the victory.
js/bb
