Chiefs clinch AFC No. 1 seed, first-round bye with win over Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs have secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed for the third time in five seasons.

Kansas City defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 31-13, on Saturday in their regular-season finale to clinch the conference’s top seed, which includes a first-round bye and potentially home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

As a result of the cancelation of the Week 17 Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game following the harrowing situation involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin, the Chiefs were put in position to wrap up the top seed on Saturday. With a final record of 14-3, the Chiefs cannot be matched in winning percentage by the Bills, who can improve to 13-3 with a win on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Per a resolution agreed to Friday by NFL clubs during a Special League Meeting, if Buffalo beats New England on Sunday and goes on to meet the Chiefs in the AFC title game, the contest would be played at a neutral site. If Buffalo loses in Week 18, a potential Bills-Chiefs championship game would be played in Kansas City.

This is the third time the Chiefs have been the No. 1 seed under head coach Andy Reid and with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. They did so previously in 2018 and 2020.

The Chiefs, who have won seven straight AFC West titles, will host the lowest remaining AFC seed when they open the playoffs in the Divisional Round (Jan. 21-22).

Source: Read Full Article