AFC West report: KC Chiefs clinch the division (again!)
By Ellen Mathis
![KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 26: Byron Pringle #13 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a touchdown with his team during the third quarter in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 26: Byron Pringle #13 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a touchdown with his team during the third quarter in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/1768b7cc9ba22920c25ebd82e5423e9748b73318776030be5bed065bee90c22b.jpg)
Welcome to a celebratory look at the AFC West, my friends! That’s right, on Sunday, thanks to an epic collapse by the Chargers (and a surprisingly great game by Davis Mills of the Texans), the Chiefs clinched the AFC West for the 6th straight season and kept their hold on the number one seed in the AFC. But, before we get into the wonderful smackdown provided by the Chiefs, let’s look at the rest of the AFC West…
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers were supposed to walk in and demolish the Texans because everyone believed they were one of the better teams in the AFC. Unfortunately for the Chargers, this year is just a weird one – have you heard of the curse?
Wish I saw this before betting the Chargers yesterday 😭
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) December 27, 2021
(via thedrewallen_/TikTok) pic.twitter.com/tdOlUW0yES
Spooky. The Chargers were without some of their star players, but that isn’t an excuse at this point – every team is dealing with COVID issues. Ultimately, the players could not step up. Herbert played pretty poorly throwing this pick-six that ultimately sealed the win for the Texans:
TEXANS GET THE PICK-6 ON HERBERT TO SEAL THE UPSET WIN 👀
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 26, 2021
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/9oskD7LBpE
Props to the Texans for pulling off the upset. Their season is over, and they are playing for draft position now so a win doesn’t help them. They were also struck by the COVID bug, but their players stepped up. As a Chiefs fan, I am extremely grateful.
The Chargers have since gotten their players back from the COVID list and are now hoping they will get a wild card spot. The new COVID protocols just announced on December 28 make it so that they should be full strength come Sunday.
On Sunday, the Chargers look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they face the Denver Broncos. The Broncos, somehow are still alive in the playoff hunt, and last time, they shocked the Chargers so Sunday’s game looks to be a good one.