The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC after a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
With the Chiefs now rolling to 15-1 on the season, the No. 1 seed also secures Andy Reid's team a first-round bye, which is a key element every team chases as it is only the No. 1 seed that gets a "breather" before their postseason begins.
For Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, having the first-round bye means a lot more this season due to the number of injuries the team is currently dealing with.
"It's just going to be nice getting guys healthy,” Mahomes said of the bye. “I think this was the earliest bye I've ever had just in general, so kind of have this grind, we had bye like week six, so almost 10 weeks of just football and grinding, this short schedule at the very end of the year, we have some guys banged up.
"To get them back healthy now and we'll see how Week 18 goes and who plays, who doesn't, that's up to coach. But even getting this little break, getting back healthy, and then getting ourselves ready to go for the playoffs, it was super important, especially with the guys that we have banged up.”
Week 18 looms as an interesting decision for the Chiefs' coaching staff. The team may decide to give their starters a couple of weeks' rest before their first playoff game.
While there are clear advantages to that, one downside is that not playing for so long could cause a touch of rust, and in the playoffs, you aren't afforded any time to get settled into the game.
But the prospect of playing some starters in Week 18 and having one get injured is also a real threat, so it's a delicate balancing act that Reid and Co. must work out.
Right now, though, the Chiefs are basking in the glory of claiming the No. 1 seed and having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs as they hunt for a third successive Super Bowl title.
