Four Takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs' 29-10 Win Over the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Kansas City Chiefs traveled to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, and there was plenty to take away from the Christmas Day contest.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass while being pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs were on the road this holiday season, capping off their 11-day gauntlet with a big-time win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fueled by a high-flying offensive performance and an inspiring effort from the defense, Andy Reid's team accomplished plenty on Christmas Day.

With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Wednesday's game.

Patrick Mahomes came out firing on Christmas

When Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, many thought the injury would limit Kansas City's superstar signal-caller for weeks to come. While he clearly wasn't 100% healthy in last Saturday's win over the Houston Texans, he still played an efficient game and looked comfortable in the pocket. That continued into this week, with Mahomes himself saying he thought he'd be in an even better spot with the ankle for Wednesday. That certainly was the case in Pittsburgh.

In one of his better performances of the season, everything clicked for Mahomes at different points in the game. Early on, he moved well in the pocket and even got a deep ball to Justin Watson to convert. In the third quarter, he got the RPO game going and let his receivers do the work. The fourth quarter saw him connect with Travis Kelce on a record-breaking score. In all, the two-time MVP completed 29 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. If this is Mahomes rounding into playoff form, Kansas City will be in good shape.

Assessing the Chiefs' defense without Chris Jones

Last weekend, Kansas City put up a mixed bag of defensive football against the Texans. Early on, C.J. Stroud and company had some explosive plays and didn't have any trouble converting on third down. Things changed in the second half, even after defensive tackle Chris Jones suffered a strained calf. A Wednesday morning report confirmed that Jones wasn't set to play in Week 17, which left the Chiefs' defense shorthanded. While things were far from perfect without Jones, sitting him turned out to be the right call as the team managed in his absence.

Let's get this out of the way: Pittsburgh very well could've – and should've – wound up with more points. On multiple occasions, the defense failed to contain Russell Wilson and the Chiefs struggled on third downs for most of the game. With that said, Steve Spagnuolo's unit also forced some turnovers and generated a good deal of pressure on the afternoon. Things could've been worse than surrendering five yards per play against a big-play offense, especially down your top defender. Luckily for the Chiefs, they'll take a 10-point output from the Steelers and also welcome Jones back with open arms whenever he's healthy.

Special shouts to Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce

Last weekend, Chiefs rookie wideout Xavier Worthy hauled in a career-high seven passes and added 65 yards and a touchdown. He pitched in another score on Christmas, also topping his personal bests for receptions and yards with eight and 79, respectively. Mahomes and Co. have alluded to Worthy growing down the stretch of the season, which is exactly what he continues to showcase heading into the playoffs.

Kelce also deserves a huge tip of the cap. The future Hall of Fame man has already lost a step athletically and isn't really a post-catch threat anymore, but he brought a bit of juice on Wednesday. At the age of 35 and in season No. 12, catching eight passes for 84 yards and a score will certainly do. There's a case to be made that this was Kelce's best game in nearly two months, and setting a record in the process is a big deal. He's earned some rest over the next few weeks.

The Chiefs have officially locked up the top playoff seed in the AFC

In the Week 17 playoff picture, the Buffalo Bills still stood a chance at securing the one-seed in the conference thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs from earlier this season. They also, however, gave the reigning champs a backup plan in case they fell flat on Wednesday. In the event that Kansas City lost to Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, they could've still locked up a first-round bye with a Buffalo loss or tie over the weekend. None of that applies now after the Chiefs handled business.

As it turns out, Wednesday served as a Merry Clinchmas for the Chiefs. They now sit atop the conference and won't have to play on Wild Card weekend, also making sure that they won't have to hit the road until they (potentially) reach the Super Bowl. Additionally, the timing of this victory now makes Week 18's game against the Denver Broncos more interesting from a personnel standpoint. With the most important spot in the conference playoff bracket secured, there are only good problems on the team's hands now.

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