KC Chiefs are No. 1 team in AFC thanks to Patriots’ loss Saturday, Steelers’ win Sunday
When’s the last time Bill Belichick did the Chiefs a solid? Or Ben Roethlisberger?
How about both in the same weekend?
It happened Saturday night in Indianapolis, where the Belichick-coached New England Patriots had no answer for the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, falling 27-17, and Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, where Big Ben and the Steelers overcame a 13-3 halftime deficit to shock the Tennessee Titans 19-13.
The Chiefs, Patriots and Titans entered this week’s round of games with matching 9-4 records. The Chiefs beat the L.A. Chargers 34-28 in overtime Thursday, improving to 10-4.
The Patriots had the chance to join them at 10-4, but instead fell behind the Colts 20-0 in the third quarter before trying to rally. Then it was the Titans’ turn, and they, too, came up empty.
So the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, and the first-round bye that comes with it, belongs to the Chiefs with three games to go. Win each of those games and no one can catch them.
It’s a scenario that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Chiefs’ road to the Super Bowl LIV championship. The Chiefs played their tails off down the stretch of the 2019 regular season, but they prevailed in a lot of nail-biter finishes along the way.
With games in the balance, things just seemed to break in their favor.
In January, the Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to play host to three straight AFC championship games, a run they could push to four if they’re able to maintain their grip at the top.
Who would’ve thought that this was possible amid their 3-4 start this season, when it looked like the wheels had come off the red and yellow bus? Perhaps you did. And, if so, bravo.
The rest of us can start believing again now, too. Seven straight victories have a way of changing hearts and minds.
Things aren’t exactly sorted out yet, of course. The Titans own a head-to-head advantage over the Chiefs by virtue of their 27-3 victory over Kansas City earlier this season, so things could change in a hurry if the Chiefs lose a game.
It really comes down to how these three teams perform in the season’s final weeks.
And with that in mind, here are the remaining schedules for the Chiefs, Pats and Titans (the Baltimore Ravens had a chance to join the upper tier of the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but they went for the win via a two-point conversion attempt Sunday night at home vs. the Packers instead of kicking the PAT to force overtime; they failed to convert that two-point try, losing 31-30 and falling to 8-6):
Chiefs (10-4): vs. Steelers, at Bengals, at Broncos
Titans (9-5): vs. 49ers, vs. Dolphins, at Texans
Patriots (9-5): vs. Bills, vs. Jaguars, at Dolphins
Tied at 8-6: They’re outsiders, but not yet out of it — Chargers, Bills, Ravens, Bengals, Colts
Baltimore
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 10:57 PM with the headline "KC Chiefs are No. 1 team in AFC thanks to Patriots’ loss Saturday, Steelers’ win Sunday."