The Kansas City Chiefs have officially clinched a playoff berth for the second straight season, something they haven’t done since they went six straight years from 1990-95. The Chiefs could clinch today if the Steelers beat the Ravens and that’s what they did when Antonio Brown put the ball over the goal line with less than 10 seconds left.
The Chiefs could have also clinched if they beat the Broncos. That doesn’t mean they’re not going to try against Denver. They’re still playing for something, especially with Derek Carr’s injury.
This is a must-win game for the Chiefs because they’re still playing for seeding. If the Chiefs win and the Raiders, who lost Carr for the season, lose, the Chiefs would get the AFC West title and the No. 2 overall seed. That means a first round bye so that would be a pretty big deal.
If the Chiefs are not the No. 2 seed, they’ll be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed as a Wild Card. Those seeds don’t get a bye and have to play on the road on Wild Card weekend.
For now though the Chiefs are in.