PITTSBURGH — Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Wednesday, clinching the AFC's No. 1 seed for the fourth time in seven seasons. I secured a seat.
The two-time Super Bowl champions extended their lead to 13 points early on, but their chance to win the AFC North loomed large once again as the Steelers (10-6) lost three straight. I was never threatened.
Mahomes had scoring tosses to Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson in the first half, and Kansas City's defense played most of the rest of the way despite the absence of regular All-Pro defensive end Chris Jones with a calf injury. Ta. The Chiefs sacked Russell Wilson five times and forced two turnovers, but didn't appear to let off any gas during the third play in 11 days.
Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 84 yards, becoming the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions, joining Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. Kelce made a 12-yard touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter, securing Kansas City's fifth straight win.
The 35-year-old celebrated by dunking the ball over the goal post, which earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at Acresure Stadium, where Mahomes has grown accustomed to seeing his hometown team toyed with him. There was a roar from the packed audience. Mahomes is now 4-0 against the Steelers in his career with 17 touchdowns and one interception.
Russell Wilson threw for 205 yards for Pittsburgh. George Pickens had three receptions for 50 yards after missing three games with a hamstring injury. That wasn't nearly enough for the Steelers, who went 0-3 in a brutal three-game series against Super Bowl contenders Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City.
Perhaps more problematic than the loss was the way the match played out. The Steelers have given up at least 14 points in each game and could start the playoffs on the road after holding a two-game division lead and playing slowly just three weeks ago.
Mahomes largely ignored the ankle injury he suffered against Cleveland, leading the Chiefs to touchdowns on their first two drives, finding Worthy in the flat for a 7-yard score and hitting Watson in the back corner of the end zone. It was 13 yards. -0.
One scene late in the first quarter was emblematic of a frustrating day for Pittsburgh. A holding penalty nullified Jalen Warren's short touchdown run, and on the next snap Wilson ran into triple coverage in the end zone. Kansas City's Justin Reid had little trouble grabbing the ball and ending the threat.
The Steelers tied the game by six points in the second inning, at 13-7 and 16-10, but never had the ball on their chances to take the lead in the second half. Instead, the Chiefs, who spent most of the first three months of the season struggling until most weeks, methodically pulled away.
On the first snap of the fourth quarter, Kareem Hunt ran in from 2 yards out to make it 22-10. Pat Friermuth then fumbled on Pittsburgh's next possession. Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton fell on it, and it took Mahomes just four plays to fly a pass to a wide-open Kelce and put it out of reach.
