Chiefs Clinch AFC's No. 1 Seed, First-Round Playoff Bye with Win Over Steelers

After taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, the Kansas City Chiefs are officially the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have a first-round playoff bye.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Before every season, the Kansas City Chiefs set goals that they frequently accomplish over the course of the next several months. Winning the AFC West and making the playoffs are two of them, and the reigning Super Bowl champions checked off yet another box on Christmas Day.

With a Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City is officially the one-seed in the AFC. The Chiefs now guarantee home-field advantage for all of their conference playoff games, also securing a first-round postseason bye in the process. It's the best possible outcome for Andy Reid's group.

In the days leading up to the Chiefs' win, quarterback Patrick Mahomes discussed the importance of locking up the top seed.

“I don’t think you talk about it, but everybody knows," Mahomes said. "I mean, it’s – you want to get that one-seed to get that bye so that you’re basically winning a playoff game by getting the one-seed. You get that and you’ll have home-field advantage as well at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which we feel like is a huge advantage for us. You can’t put all your attention to it. All you can do is go out there and play football and know that we’re going to play a great football team and it’s going to take our best football to win.”

Not only is the No. 1 seed clinched, but the Chiefs' 15th win of the year gave the franchise its most victories ever in a single season. Despite dealing with plenty of injuries and inconsistent play, the back-to-back champs have put up one of the very best years in team history. That includes seemingly countless close calls, multiple walk-off triumphs and everything in between.

Regardless of what the Buffalo Bills do on Sunday against the New York Jets, it won't matter in the grand scheme of things. Kansas City reigns supreme atop the AFC entering the postseason, also leaving the door open for some rest before, during and after Week 18's regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos.

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