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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Tom Dierberger

How Chiefs Can Clinch AFC's No. 1 Playoff Seed After Win vs. Texans

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught five passes for 30 yards in their 27–19 win over Houston. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs tied a franchise record Saturday with their 14th win of the season, emerging victorious by one possession yet again in a 27–19 triumph over the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs (14-1) clinched a playoff berth back in November and the AFC West division in early December. The only thing remaining for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to accomplish in the regular season is to lock up the AFC's top playoff seed to secure home-field advantage throughout their push for a historic Super Bowl three-peat.

Kansas City didn't clinch the No. 1 playoff seed with its win over Houston, but the Chiefs are close. They will claim the top seed this weekend if the Buffalo Bills (11-3) tie or lose to the New England Patriots (3-11) at home on Sunday.

If that doesn't happen—and it most likely won't, as Bills quarterback Josh Allen is playing at an MVP level and the Patriots have lost four straight games—the Chiefs' pursuit of the No. 1 seed will leak into Week 17.

If the Bills beat New England, Kansas City can lock up the No. 1 seed with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Day.

It hasn't exactly been a stress-free ride this season for the 14-1 Chiefs, who now have won a remarkable 11 games by one possession. Claiming the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed and securing home-field advantage and a first-round bye might be a perfectly timed holiday gift for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Chiefs Can Clinch AFC's No. 1 Playoff Seed After Win vs. Texans.

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