Week 16 was an opportunity for the Kansas City Chiefs to cement themselves as the AFC's no. 1 overall seed. All they had to do was take down another AFC contender and current no. 4 seed, the Houston Texans.
In a battle between two of the conference's top quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud made plenty of plays in this one to give fans plenty to talk about. Mahomes came into this contest with a bum ankle and, as of a few days ago, there were even some doubts about his status for Saturday's special matchup.
As it turns out, Mahomes looked just fine and put all questions about his ankle to bed, from the very beginning. The scoring began with an opening-drive touchdown that saw Mahomes scramble for a 15-yard score. "What injury?" was exactly what many fans were shouting after the epic run.
When the clock hit all zeroes after the final quarter, it was Mahomes and the Chiefs who came away with their 14th win of the season, improving to 14-1 and staying atop the AFC, of course.
AFC Playoff standings after Chiefs' Week 16 victory over the Texans
1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
4. Houston Texans (9-6)
5. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)
7. Denver Broncos (9-6)
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)
9. Miami Dolphins (6-8)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
Looking ahead at the rest of the action for Week 16, things are now simplified as far as the Chiefs are concerned. What should fans be rooting for now that the team wrapped up its 14th win?
The Chiefs lock up the AFC's no. 1 overall seed with a Buffalo Bills loss in Week 16
Sitting with a record of 11-3, the Bills host the lowly New England Patriots (3-11) in a game that likely won't see an upset occur. But, on any given Sunday... as they say.
Should the Bills somehow lose to the Patriots, that would guarantee the Chiefs as this year's number-one seed in the AFC. Even if Kansas City lost its remaining two games, they'd finish 14-3 and the next-closest team could finish 13-4.
That's about it.
Now, for good measure, it's always fun to see the Raiders (2-12) lose. So, why not continue rooting against the AFC West? The Broncos went down to the Chargers on Thursday Night Football, which meant at least one divisional opponent had to win. But, seeing the Broncos come back down to earth after winning four straight was pretty enjoyable.
Now, the Raiders on the other hand, get a date with the 3-11 Jacksonville Jaguars. It actually wouldn't be all that bad to see the Raiders win this one, as they're currently slated to pick No. 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft. With a victory over Jacksonville, Las Vegas would fall out of owning the no. 1 overall selection.
Now, that would be hilarious.
Go Raiders?
Yeah, that still feels wrong.