NFL: Chiefs snap up top seed as Patrick Mahomes makes history!
Las Vegas, Nevada - The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the number one seed in the AFC playoffs as Patrick Mahomes made NFL history in an easy 31-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
With Monday's game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals cancelled following the cardiac arrest suffered by Bills safety Damar Hamlin, the Chiefs knew they could clinch the top seed with a victory in Las Vegas.
Mahomes set the tone on the second play from scrimmage, a 67-yard completion to Justin Watson, which was soon followed by a two-yard toss to Jerick McKinnon after some vintage play outside the pocket from the Chiefs quarterback.
The Chiefs were ruthless in taking advantage of a Jarrett Stidham interception as Mahomes led a three-play drive capped by a two-yard touchdown plunge from Ronald Jones III.
A second-quarter red-zone stand from the Kansas City defense seemed to sap the energy out of home crowd that struggled to outnumber the Chiefs fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium.
The Chiefs' superiority was summed up on a 12-play drive from Kansas City when the visitors scored a touchdown on a trick play to Kadarius Toney after they broke the huddle bouncing around in a circle in unison. That score was called back by penalty, only for the Chiefs to hand the ball to Toney for an 11-yard touchdown on the next play.
From there, it was over as a contest, with Isiah Pacheco's fourth-quarter rushing touchdown adding gloss to the scoreline and Mahomes ending his regular-season with 5,614 total yards – breaking an all-time quarterback record set by Drew Brees!
Cover photo: USA TODAY Sports