Christmas came early in 2021 for the Kansas City Chiefs

It is December 24 and tomorrow people all around the world will awake to presents and festive cheer, but Christmas has already come early for the Kansas City Chiefs.

A crucial 34-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, coupled with a pair of key losses elsewhere, means that the Chiefs will wake up on Christmas morning as the number one seed in the AFC. For Chiefs Kingdom, being the AFC’s top seed is about as good a gift as anything that they might find under a tree on Christmas day.

At 3-4 and coming off a 24-3 drubbing by the Titans, Kansas City seemed a long, long way off returning to the Super Bowl. The defense looked woeful, the offense dysfunctional. Patrick Mahomes was struggling for the first time in his career and things seemed dire.

After a miserable start, the Chiefs have received a few early Christmas gifts in 2021 to catapult them forward.

The fact that the Chiefs are now the number one seed is nothing short of a Christmas miracle. Kansas City’s defense is now one of the best in the league, and the offense looks like it is back to its dangerous best.

Kansas City has received a few gifts along the way. They got to play the mediocre NFC East, Aaron Rodgers was forced to sit out their Week 9 clash due to COVID-19, and the Raiders’ stunning implosion helped them outscore the silver and black 89-23 in their two games.

But perhaps the biggest gift of all has been the collapse of seemingly every other top team in the AFC. At 3-4 and with key losses to the Titans, Bills, and Ravens, it seemed almost impossible that the Chiefs would make up ground on all those teams. And yet, they have.

Baltimore has been beset by injuries all year, and it seems like those setbacks have finally caught up with them. The Ravens were 5-1 to start the season but have since dropped to 8-6 and are currently out of the playoff picture altogether.

Tennessee, too, was hit by the injury bug when they lost star running back Derrick Henry for most of the season, while Julio Jones and A.J Brown have both spent time on the IR. The Titans were 8-2 and held the AFC’s top seed, but three losses in four games have seen them drop behind the Chiefs in the standings.

Buffalo looked like the real deal when they smashed the Chiefs 38-20 in Week 5, but since then the Bills have failed to win back-to-back games and have the unfortunate distinction of being just one of two teams to lose to Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Kansas City’s latest early Christmas presents came in the form of New England’s loss to Indianapolis and Tennessee’s defeat at Pittsburgh in Week 15, two crucial results that gave the Chiefs sole possession of the best record in the AFC. The Chiefs are now in total control of their playoff destiny. If they win out from here and they are guaranteed to claim the one seed.

The Chiefs have a couple of extra little stocking stuffers too. They hold a two-game lead in the AFC West and seem on track to claim a record-breaking sixth-straight division title. A Chiefs win in Week 16 paired with a Chargers loss would see KC clinch the division.

They have also been relatively healthy throughout the season. Notwithstanding the recent coronavirus outbreak that has seen over a dozen players placed on the COVID-19 list, including superstars Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Chris Jones, the Chiefs have so far—knock on wood—avoided any serious injuries.

All of these factors mean the Chiefs are in fantastic shape heading into the last few games of the season and the playoffs. Christmas may have already come early for Kansas City, but Chiefs Kingdom will be hoping they can deliver something not even Santa Claus himself can bring – a Super Bowl trophy.