The Kansas City Chiefs can’t help but win. Kansas City scored another big victory on Christmas Day, beating Pittsburgh 29-10 and moving to 15-1 on the season. The Chiefs are riding a six-game winning streak, including three in recent weeks.
NFL planners made it a point to showcase the Chiefs in front of a national audience during the holidays. Kansas City has played three games in the last 11 days, which is abnormal for an NFL schedule.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed his gratitude to his teammates after enduring such a grueling schedule.
“It showed the strength of the team, and I think we got better as the games went on,” Mahomes said. “The guys, they’re strong mentally and physically, and we played some really good football teams, some tough battles, and the guys came away with three wins. This No. 1 seed is important. It’s like winning a playoff game, and so I was happy to do that.
The No. 1 seed is more important than ever. When the NFL expanded the playoffs a few years ago to include seven teams from each conference, it reduced the number of first-round byes from two to one.
Therefore, the Chiefs won’t play another meaningful game until mid-January in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Will the Chiefs face Patrick Mahomes in Week 18 after clinching first place in the AFC?
The Chiefs clinched the top spot in the AFC playoffs on Christmas Day after recording their 15th win of the season.
This begs the question: Will Patrick Mahomes, along with the other Chiefs starters, play in Week 18?
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“It’s totally up to the coach,” Mahomes said, per Michael David Smith of NBC Sports and Pro Football Talk. “If coach wants me to go out there and play, I’ll play. If he doesn’t, I’ll just sit there. I have full confidence that Coach Reid knows what he is doing.
The Chiefs have decided to sit Mahomes in the past during similar situations. For example, Mahomes sat out the final week of the 2023 season after securing the fourth seed.
Mahomes is dealing with an ankle injury, which adds another element to the situation. If the Chiefs have nothing to gain from their Week 18 matchup, it makes sense to give him some rest. It would be catastrophic for Kansas City if he re-aggravates his injury before the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see what the Chiefs decide to do with Patrick Mahomes before Week 18.
