With loss, Chiefs’ chance at top AFC seed pushed to final week
No resting starters for the Chiefs next week.
For the second straight game, the Chiefs had an opportunity to clinch the AFC West and secure homefield advantage in the NFL playoffs.
For the second straight game, the Chiefs lost that chance.
A 38-31 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football pushed the Chiefs to the final week of the season without a title in the division they’ve led all season.
“It’s frustrating losing these games with a chance to win the division,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said.
The Chiefs, 11-4, finish the season against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday at 3:25 p.m., at Arrowhead Stadium.
Win that, and the Chiefs will have their third straight AFC West title, own the conference’s best record and be the top seed on the AFC bracket.
“We have an opportunity to finish things the right way,” Andy Reid said.
If the Chiefs and Chargers win next week to finish 12-4, the Chiefs would own the tie-breaker because a better division record.
But a loss would complicate matters. It would leave the Chiefs with an 11-5 record and they could finish behind the Chargers, if Los Angeles won at Denver.
In that scenario, the Chiefs would be the No. 5 seed.
The Chiefs lost their first chance to clinch the division and a first-round bye when it fell to the Chargers at Arrowhead on Dec. 13.
The Raiders, who own the AFC’s worst record at 3-11, play host to the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
The Chiefs entered their game on Sunday with a cushion based on results of other games.
The Chargers lost to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night. The Houston Texans, who entered the weekend as the second seed, lost on a final play field goal to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
With the loss the Texans switched places with the New England Patriots, who became the second seed. The Texans are third.
But Houston later got some good news. The Texans hadn’t clinched a playoff spot until the Pittsburgh Steelers had lost to the New Orleans Saints later in the day.
The Steelers fell from the playoff picture with the loss.
This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 11:04 PM.