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The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business in Week 16, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-10. As a result, they’ve become the first AFC team to punch their ticket to the playoffs and they solidified their place as AFC West division winners for the 2021 NFL season.
All the team needed to do in order to clinch a playoff berth this week was to come away with the win and they did just that, despite being down several players due to COVID-19. This marks the seventh consecutive season that Kansas City has made it to the playoffs, breaking the franchise record set by Marty Schottenheimer’s Chiefs squad in the ’90s. This is also the longest active streak of playoff appearances in the NFL today.
Another impressive feat for the good guys today: This marks the fourth consecutive season that a Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs team has gone to the playoffs. They’ve never missed the playoffs since No. 15 has been the team’s starting quarterback.
With some help from the Houston Texans, who defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 34-24 in Week 16, the Chiefs have also won the AFC West for the sixth consecutive season. It’s also good for the longest active streak in the NFL today. This is the first time in the history of the AFC West division that a team has won the division for six consecutive seasons. Each of the Broncos (2011-2015) and Raiders (1972-1976) has seen five consecutive wins, but Kansas City gets another piece of NFL history with this win.
In addition to all of the clinching done today, the Chiefs did keep their hold over the No. 1 seed in the AFC conference with a victory. They still control their own destiny, but they have no room for error in the final two weeks of the season. The Tennessee Titans are just one game back and hold a tiebreaker over Kansas City should they finish with the same record.
These accomplishments serve as a stark reminder that we’re living through the golden era of Chiefs football and that we best enjoy it. Teams like this don’t come around very often in the NFL.
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