The Kansas City Chiefs have secured the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Patrick Mahomes and the offense stormed the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, and exited with a 29-10 win.
Sitting pretty with the NFL’s best record at 15-1, head coach Andy Reid has to decide if any of his starters will suit up and play in the meaningless regular-season finale. Mahomes, in particular.
“That’s completely up to Coach,” Mahomes said, per Michael David Smith of NBC Sports and Pro Football Talk. “If Coach wants me to go out there and play I’ll play. If he doesn’t, I’ll sit back. I have full confidence that Coach Reid knows what he’s doing.”
Mahomes didn’t play in Week 18 last season due to an ankle injury and “coaching decision” by Reid, as the Chiefs were already slotted as the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. Given that Mahomes has reportedly been dealing with issues to his ankle in recent weeks, it’s likely that there could be a similar decision made before the Chiefs’ matchup with the Denver Broncos on January 5.
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes torches Steelers defense on Christmas Day
Mahomes continued his streak of quality performances against the Steelers under a very bright microscope.
“It showed the toughness of the team, and I think we got better as the games went on,’’ Mahomes said. “The guys, they’re mentally tough and they’re physically tough, and we played some really good football teams, some hard-fought battles, and the guys came away with three wins. That No. 1 seed is important. It’s like winning a playoff game, and so I was happy to get that done.’’
