The Kansas City Chiefs held on to defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 17-14, at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday to clinch the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
Here are some interesting stats and notes about the win.
1. Travis Kelce set a couple NFL records.
With 98 yards through the air on Sunday, Kelce now owns the NFL single-season receiving record for a tight end (1,416) through only 15 games. Remarkably, Kelce also occupies the No. 3 spot on that list with his 1,336-yard campaign in 2018.
The All-Pro tight end leads the NFL in receiving yards as of Sunday night and his 13 games with at least 60 yards receiving this season also lead the league.
Additionally, Kelce topped 100 receptions for the season on Sunday for the second time in his career. He's the only tight end in NFL history to tally multiple 100-catch campaigns. His 105 grabs this year are also the most by a player in a single season in franchise history, breaking the record he set in 2018.
2. He also found the end zone for a career-most 11th time.
Kelce hauled in a 4-yard touchdown grab late in the second quarter to tie the game and set a new career-high in terms of touchdown catches (11). That makes Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill (15) the first pair of teammates to each tally 11+ scoring grabs since the Green Bay Packers' Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams in 2016.
Kelce's 11 touchdown catches this season rank fifth in the NFL.
3. Patrick Mahomes tossed a couple of touchdowns in the victory.
The offense had its struggles in this one, but Mahomes still managed to throw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. His first scoring strike – the 4-yard toss to Kelce – extended his touchdown streak to 25 consecutive games with a passing score, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. Only 13 players since 2000 have compiled such a stretch.
Mahomes now has a league-leading 4,740 passing yards to go along with 38 touchdown passes on the year. He's one of just four players in the Super Bowl Era to tally 4,700+ yards and 38+ scores through 15 games, joining Drew Brees (2x), Peyton Manning and Dan Marino.
Remarkably, Mahomes has now accomplished that feat twice through three seasons as a starter.
4. Demarcus Robinson caught the go-ahead touchdown late.
The offense came through in the clutch on Sunday, as Mahomes led a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the closing minutes of the contest that ended with a 25-yard strike to Robinson in the end zone.
It marked Robinson's third touchdown of the season and put him over 400 receiving yards on the year.
5. The defense was pressuring Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan throughout the game.
Kansas City pressured Ryan on 44 percent of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Defensive tackle Chris Jones (8), defensive end Frank Clark (4), defensive end Alex Okafor (3) and defensive back L'Jarius Sneed (2) each tallied multiple pressures in the game.
As a team, the Chiefs racked up four sacks and 12 quarterback hits.
6. Jones, in particular, had himself a game.
The veteran defensive tackle tallied a sack, four quarterback hits and a pass defensed in Sunday's victory. He recorded eight pressures, per PFF, which were tied with the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald and the Cleveland Browns' Olivier Vernon for the most by any player in Week 16.
Jones also earned his top PFF grade of the season in the contest.
7. Several young players stepped up for the Chiefs' defense on Sunday.
Kansas City was already without starting linebackers Damien Wilson and Anthony Hitchens on Sunday, and to complicate matters further, fellow linebacker Ben Niemann was injured midway through the contest. That meant extended playing time for rookie linebackers Willie Gay Jr., Darius Harris and Omari Cobb, and they certainly made the most of it.
Gay Jr. led the team with nine tackles and earned the second-highest defensive grade on the squad, per PFF, trailing only Jones. He also teamed up with Harris to take the ball away late in the game, as Gay Jr. punched the ball free from Falcons' wide receiver Brandon Powell and Harris was there to scoop it up.
8. It all helped the Chiefs win a 10th consecutive game.
The Chiefs haven't lost since Week 5, compiling the longest active winning streak in the NFL. It's tied for the longest stretch in a single regular season in franchise history, matching the 10-game streak Kansas City compiled in 2015.
Overall, including the postseason, the Chiefs have won 23 of their last 24 games.
9. Kansas City has its first 14-win season in franchise history.
The Chiefs have put together some tremendous seasons over the years, including last season's run at a championship, but the 2020 campaign stands alone as the winningest regular season in franchise history.
Additionally, the Chiefs are now just the eighth team since 1978 (when the 16-game schedule was implemented) to win 14+ games the year after winning a Super Bowl, joining Green Bay (2015), New England (2004), Denver (1998), San Francisco (1990, '89), Chicago (1986) and Washington (1983).
10. Kansas City now officially owns the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Chiefs locked up the top seed in the AFC with Sunday's victory, securing a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the postseason. The bye is significant, too, because there's only one bye in each conference this season.
Kansas City has taken care of business all season long as part of the "Run It Back" campaign, and now with the playoffs nearly here, the road to the Super Bowl once again goes through Arrowhead Stadium.
