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The Kansas City Chiefs wiped the floor with their Week 16 opponent in the final home game of the regular season at Arrowhead Stadium.
While the dominant victory over a Pittsburgh Steelers team in playoff contention was an impressive feat, it wasn’t enough to hoist the team to the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY powers rankings. They’re still at the No. 2 spot behind the NFC-leading Green Bay Packers — a team the Chiefs beat earlier this season, albeit without their starting quarterback.
Here’s what USA TODAY’s Nate Davis had to say about Kansas City after Week 16, keying in on their league-leading eight-game win streak.
“Their league-best eight-game winning streak has been fueled by a dominant six-game defensive stretch at Arrowhead Stadium. AFC West champs won’t play there again until postseason and must do some work in Cincinnati and/or Denver to secure home-field advantage.”
The No. 1 seed is still up for grabs, but the Chiefs can clinch it in Week 17 with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals, plus some help from another AFC squad. Kansas City will be paying close attention to the Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins game in Week 17. Should the Dolphins come away with a victory, in addition to Kansas City taking care of their own business, they’ll have the No. 1 seed locked up before the final week of the regular season.
It won’t be the first time that Miami has helped the Chiefs. Their clutch victory over the Patriots in 2019 helped the team secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. Only the No. 1 seed gets a first-round bye week in the playoffs now, making it all the more important for Kansas City to keep their win streak alive.
Behind the Chiefs’ most recent wave of success has been improved offensive play. They’ve been more consistent against the 2-high coverage shells that teams used to deflate the offense early in the season. Kansas City has converted first downs at nearly a 50% clip against those coverages in the past three weeks according to PFF. Combine that type of offensive success with the impressive defensive play that the team has become known for this season and you’ll have a formula for winning football heading into the postseason.
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