The latest victory over a division rival has put the Kansas City Chiefs in contention for another AFC West title and has given them the top seed in the AFC conference. They remain in the driver’s seat for the postseason bye week, and the Chiefs also jumped two spots in the latest USA TODAY power rankings. They’re now ranked No. 2 behind the Green Bay Packers after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in an overtime thriller, improving their position in the power rankings from a week ago.
Here’s what USA TODAY’s Nate Davis had to say about Kansas City after Week 15, focusing on the top seed in the AFC goal and current COVID issues plaguing star players heading into Sunday:
“Kansas City is the fifth team in league history to win at least 10 games in seven consecutive seasons. The Chiefs also control their fate as they seek the No. 1 seed for the third time since 2018 … though the latest rash of COVID issues, which snared TE Travis Kelce and WR Tyreek Hill this week, doesn’t help.”
The Chiefs’ latest victory called for extra time and exceptional performances from the team’s biggest stars. Kelce’s game-winning touchdown reception possibly put away any hopes of Kansas City being caught in the AFC West division race. The Week 15 victory in front of a national audience on “Thursday Night Football” was a showcase to the world that Kansas City is still the team to beat in the AFC and perhaps the NFL as a whole.
The Chiefs have a chance to put the conference top seed well out of reach on Sunday with a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. Both teams are coming off victories, with the Steelers taking care of the Tennessee Titans last week.
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