Patrick Mahomes' three touchdown passes keyed the Kansas City Chiefs to a convincing 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. With the win, the Chiefs clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed and the coveted first-round playoff bye that comes with it. The Chiefs are also the eighth team in NFL history to win at least 15 regular-season games.
While it wasn't a lump of coal, the Steelers received a third straight loss for Christmas and are now trailing the Ravens in the AFC North division standings. While they have already clinched a playoff berth, the Steelers would have to settle for a wild-card spot if the postseason started today.
The visiting Chiefs stormed out to a 13-0 lead after scoring on their first two possessions. The Steelers cut their deficit to 13-7 at halftime and were trailing 16-10 late in the third quarter. Kansas City responded by once again scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives, with the second score being set up by a Pittsburgh turnover. Mahomes' third touchdown pass of the day -- a 12-yard completion to Travis Kelce with 12:38 left -- essentially put a bow on the game. On the play, Kelce passed Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez for the most touchdown receptions in franchise history.
Mahomes torched Pittsburgh's secondary to the tune of 320 yards on 29 of 38 passing. Kansas City's defensive charge was spearheaded by its pass rush that sacked Russell Wilson five times. The Chiefs were able to get to Wilson despite the absence of Chris Jones, who was sidelined with an injury.
Here's a closer look at how the Chiefs gave their fans a Merry Christmas.
The Chiefs received an early Christmas present when Marquise Brown made his Kansas City debut this past Saturday. Kansas City showed off its shiny "new" toy on Christmas, as Brown's presence put even more strain on the Steelers' already stretched out defense.
While his numbers don't jump off a page, "Hollywood" Brown's four receptions forced the Steelers to focus on him while giving the Chiefs' other playmakers more room to roam. That included fellow speedster Xavier Worthy, who gave the Chiefs an early 7-0 with with his short touchdown catch.
Kansas City never took its foot off the gas pedal, especially Mahomes, who proved once again that the conversation regarding the NFL's best player stops and ends with him. Mahomes riddled Pittsburgh's proud defense while completing passes to eight different teammates. At the top of that the stat sheet was Kelce, whose 87 yards was his most in a game since Week 9.
Defensively, the Chiefs pounced on Pittsburgh's traditionally slow-starting offense by pressuring Wilson, who threw a costly interception to safety Justin Reid late in the first quarter (more on that later). Kansas City's defense later made the game-clinching play when Trent McDuffie forced a fumble that set up Kelce's knockout punch.
Where do you want to start? Pittsburgh's third loss in 11 days can be chalked up to a variety of things. Among those things was an underperforming offense and a defense that no longer seems capable of bailing the team out.
It's clear that the Steelers' plan was to control the ball while limiting Mahomes' possessions. While the strategy somewhat worked (Pittsburgh won time of possession and controlled the ball for over 17 minutes in the first half), the Steelers didn't fully capitalize on their scoring opportunities. The offense's slow start (and the defense's subsequent slow start) was a crushing blow to Pittsburgh's upset hopes.
The Steelers tried to claw back into the game, but they ultimately dug themselves too deep of a hole to climb out of. Offensively, the Steelers didn't do enough to protect Wilson, who continues to pay for price for Pittsburgh's inability to give him a proven No. 2 receiver. Defensively, the Steelers secondary looked confused and out of sync, which was likely somewhat due to the absence of injured starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Pittsburgh outrushed the Chiefs 202-61, with Najee Harris leading the way with 74 yards on 13 carries (Harris became the first player in franchise history to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons). But the Steelers' mistakes and their defense's inability to come up with big plays made Pittsburgh's running game a moot point.
As noted earlier, the game was up for grabs late in the third quarter after a Chris Boswell field goal made it a 16-10 game. But the Chiefs countered with an 11-play, 77-yard drive that was capped off by a short Kareem Hunt touchdown run. The drive featured two big catches by Brown that included a 17-yard gain on a second-and-14 play.
Pittsburgh's next drive was quickly doomed after defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah dumped Wilson for a 5-yard loss on second down. On the next play, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a short pass and tried to fight for the first down, but he fumbled the ball away in the process. Kansas City quickly cashed in on the turnover on Kelce's record-setting score.
Reid's pick was crucial as it abruptly ended a sure Steelers scoring drive. The pick occurred one play after a holding call on Steelers tight end Broderick Jones wiped out a touchdown run by Jaylen Warren.
The win gave the Chiefs a franchise-record 15 wins. Kansas City is the first 15-win team since the 2015 Carolina Panthers. Of the previous seven 15-win teams, only two (the 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears) went onto win the Super Bowl. The last five teams to win at least 15 games came up short in their quest to win the Super Bowl.
The Steelers will get a little time off before hosting the Bengals in Week 18. The Bengals (7-8) may not be playing for a possible playoff spot depending on what happens between now and the end of the season. Cincinnati has to defeat the Broncos on Saturday if it's going to have any shot at the postseason.
Speaking of Denver, the Chiefs will face the Broncos in Denver in Week 18. With the No. 1 seed in hand, the Chiefs will likely rest several key players for that game.
George Pickens screams at the sideline after being offsides on a 4th-and-15 play. Things have unraveled quickly for the Steelers, who turn the ball over on downs.
Kelce has now passed HOF TE Tony Gonzalez for the most career TD catches in franchise history. Kelce now has 77 career TD grabs. Gonzalez caught 76 scores during his 12-year run in Kansas City.
Fittingly, the Chiefs' knockout punch was delivered by Mahomes and Kelce. Mahomes fires a 12-yard TD pass to Kelce while capitalizing on the Freiermuth fumble.
Cam Heyward appeared to sustain an injury on the play; he's sitting on the field as trainers are looking at his right leg. Heyward was able to walk off the field under his own power.
It's 29-10 KC with 12:38 left.
Freiermuth fumbles while fighting for the first down on third-and-15. The ball was punched out by Trent McDuffie and recovered by Nick Bolton. That play occurred one play after Wilson was sacked for a fifth time.
Chiefs about to extend their lead and especially put a bow on their franchise record 15th win of the season.
Chiefs open the 4th with a short Kareem Hunt TD while extending lead to 22-10. Mahomes picked on the two-point try, though by second-year CB Cory Trice.
Chiefs have been getting the necessary yards on the ground when they need them, but really, the key has been the Chiefs' speed at WR and their pass protection.
KC takes a 16-10 lead into the fourth quarter. The Chiefs have a second-and-3 on the Steelers' 6-yard line with a chance to take a commanding lead. Mahomes is 25 of 32 with 274 yards with 2 TD's and has yet to be sacked. Eight different Chiefs have caught passes, led by Worthy, who has 79 yards and a score on 8 catches (8 targets).
Quick slants to Hollywood Brown that gain 17 and 12 yards give the Chiefs the ball in Steelers territory late in the third quarter. KC's running game has been non-existent, but their newfound depth at receiver with Hollywood has proven to be critical in this game.
Wilson was ... you guessed it ... sacked on third down as the Steelers settle for a Chris Boswell. It's 16-10 Chiefs with 5:45 left in the third.
Adding to injury was that Wilson had Freiermuth open on that third down. Wilson has been sacked four times today, two by Mike Danna. KC's pass rush has been effective despite Chris Jones' absence.
Justin Reid leaves the game after helping tackle Jaylen Warren. We'll keep you monitored on his status.
Steelers near midfield, but Wilson continues to be under duress. Karlaftis (who already has two sacks) just hit Wilson, nearly forcing a fumble. Wilson does give the Steelers a first down on a 15-yard run. Wilson's scrambling has been significant today.
Chiefs got a second chance on a third down following offsetting penalties. But Mahomes misfires on third down, and Harrison gives KC a 16-7 lead on a short FG with 12:21 left in the third.
Steelers ramped up the pressure on Mahomes, but they still haven't been able to sack him. That was a win for Pittsburgh. The Chiefs haven't had many possessions, and given how that drive started, I don't think Mike Tomlin is that upset with allowing a field goal.
Worthy burns Steelers rookie LB Payton Wilson for a 21-yard gain as the Chiefs are in the red zone early in the third quarter. Talking and communication issues for Pittsburgh today, especially on pass defense.
Score: 13-7 Chiefs
First downs: Steelers 12-8
Third down: Both teams 3-7
Total yards: Steelers 181-175
Red zone: Chiefs 2-2, Steelers 1-2
TOP: Steelers 17:03
Mahomes: 14-18, 143 yards, 2 TD, 0 sacks
Mahomes leads KC with 12 yards on 1 carry (team has 32 yards on 10 carries ... Pacheco 11 yards on 4 carries)
Watson: 2 catches, 60 yards, TD
Worthy: 4 catches, 27 yards, TD
Wilson: 10-15, 105 yards, INT, 2 sacks, rush TD
Warren: 61 yards on 8 carries; Harris 21 yards on 7 carries
Steelers: 97 yards on 18 carries
Pickens: 50 yards on 3 catches (4 targets)
Freiermuth: 39 yards on 4 catches (5 targets)
Pittsburgh ran out the clock after the officials ruled that Mike Williams did not possess the ball on a catch that would have put the Steelers in position to possibly attempt a long FG before the half.
Nice open field tackle by Minkah Fitzpatrick on third down forces the Chiefs to punt with 38 seconds left in the first half. Steelers still have one TO left. Was going to be hard for KC to score there as they used up all of their timeouts earlier in the half.
Steelers punt, but Chiefs flagged for having too many men on the field, so Pittsburgh re-gains possession with 2:07 left in the first half with the ball near midfield.
Wilson scampers for 12 yards as Steelers trying to get on the board before halftime. Wilson has been more mobile in recent weeks, and it's mostly paying dividends. It's giving the offense with what Justin Fields provided during the season's first six weeks.
KC appeared entered the red zone on a completion to Kelce, but a questionable hold against Jawaan Taylor wiped the play out and moved KC back to its own 40. KC called time as it appeared that they may discuss a long FG, but they ultimately punt.
Steelers have the ball on their own 20, down 13-7 with 6:06 left in the first half.
Mahomes hits Xavier Worthy for 13 yards on 3rd and 7 as the Chiefs are now past midfield. Steelers getting some pressure on Mahomes but aren't getting home.
Steelers score after Wilson runs it in after no one was open on a play-action pass play. Wilson was 4 of 5 on the drive that included a few completions to Freiermuth, who is having his best season since his rookie year (which was Ben Roethlisberger's final season in Pittsburgh). Warren also making an impact with 50 yards on 6 carries.
13-7 Chiefs with 10:28 left in the first half.
Feels like this is a significant drive in the game, with Pitt already being down 13-0. Steelers cross midfield after Wilson hits three straight passes, including a 15-yard completion to Pat Freiermuth.
First quarter was summed up by two Mahomes TD passes and a missed scoring opportunity by the Steelers after a Warren TD was called back (holding).
Mahomes 7 of 10 for 92 yards and 2 TD's in the first quarter. Wilson was 2 of 4 for 48 yards with a pick.
After scoring on their first two drives, the Chiefs have to punt on their third drive. It could have been much worse, though, had Patrick Queen been able to hang onto a possible pick on third down (off a deflected pass) that would have given the Steelers the ball deep in KC territory.
Pittsburgh is squandering its opportunities to get turnovers. That's now five turnovers they could have recorded over the past two games (four fumbles, one pick).
Wilson goes deep and hits Pickens for 41. Warren rips off a 22-yard run on the next play and appeared to score a TD, but a holding call on TE Darnell Washington wiped out the score. Wilson throws a pick to Justin Reid one play later. Steelers get no points as Wilson has now turned it over three times over the past 5 quarters.
Steelers blitz and Mahomes makes them pay with a 49-yard bomb to Justin Watson, who beat Donte Jackson downfield. Watson then scores on an 11-yard completion on third-and-4.
Pittsburgh punts for a second time on two drives after George Karlaftis sacks Wilson on second down. Chiefs muff the punt, but are able to recover the fumble. That's now four consecutive fumbles by the opposition that the Steelers have been unable to recover.
Najee Harris bursts to the outside for Pitt's first first down on their second drive. Nice block by Van Jefferson to seal the corner for Harris, who should be fresh after getting a total of 15 carries the past two games.
Mahomes throws a quick dart to a wide open Xavier Worthy in the flat. Worthy out-ran Minkah Fitzpatrick to the end zone. But KC missed the point after after a penalty on Worthy after the TD pushed Harrison Butler's attempt back 15 yards.
Kareem Hunt gains 4 on both down as the Chiefs are in scoring range. KC starts the game with four straight runs, including an 8-yard run by Isiah Pacheco on their first play. But Chiefs have already had to call two timeouts on this drive.
Steelers gain 7 yards on first down but have to punt after Wilson takes a sack on third down (he fumbled but pounced on the ball). DE Mike Danna sacked Wilson, but it was more of a coverage sack as no one was open.
Chiefs start on Pittsburgh's 42 after a long punt return.
Mahomes firing up his team ahead of the game:
