With their win over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs earned a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
The regular season is over, and the Chiefs won’t be playing next weekend. But they will be playing the following one. Kansas City started out slow defensively but came up with a pair of key interceptions to get rolling. Offensively, Alex Smith and Co. were outstanding minus a deflected pick-six, leading to a 37-27 victory.
Along with the Oakland Raiders losing to the Denver Broncos at Mile High, Kansas City earned the second seed. It caps off an amazing year that certainly saw its ups and downs, but ultimately sees a 12-4 record, the best since 2003.
In this game, the game-breaking play once again is due to Tyreek Hill. Late in the third quarter, Hill drifted back to his own 5-yard line for a punt return. The rookie then darted and stiff-armed his way for a 95-yard score, putting the Chiefs up 34-17. For Hill, it was his 12th touchdown and a new franchise record for the longest punt return in team history.
Meanwhile, Alex Smith played terrific football. Smith was 21-of-28 for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns, along with the aforementioned interception. It was a day where Kansas City controlled both the clock and sticks, continuously picking up key third downs.
Ultimately, this is a terrific win. Kansas City has a postseason bye for the first time since 2003, giving Eric Berry, Justin Houston and Spencer Ware some time to recover from their respective ailments. It also means the Chiefs will have at least one home playoff game, potentially against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Wild Card weekend in the AFC will see the Steelers hosting the Miami Dolphins, and the Houston Texans welcoming in the Oakland Raiders. Both games are rematches from earlier in the year. The New England Patriots are the top seed, sporting an impressive 14-2 mark.
Enjoy this one, Chiefs fans. The players earned it, but we all had to survive it.
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