The Kansas City Chiefs fought back from a 10-point deficit to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, 25-17, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night.
Here are some quick notes from the victory.
1. The Chiefs locked up an eighth-straight AFC West title on Sunday.
Kansas City won the AFC West for an eighth-straight season on Sunday, marking the second-longest streak of consecutive division championships for any team since 1970. Only the New England Patriots, who recorded 11 straight AFC East titles from 2009-19, compiled a longer such streak in that span.
The Chiefs are 40-7 vs. AFC West opponents during the streak.
2. Kansas City has now won double-digit games for the ninth-straight season.
In addition to another division title, the Chiefs also secured a ninth-straight season with at least 10 victories on Sunday. It's the third-longest streak of consecutive seasons with double-digit wins since 1970, trailing only the Patriots (17 straight from 2003-19) and the San Francisco 49ers (16 straight from 1983-98).
The Chiefs' 107 regular-season victories in that span lead the next closest team (New England) by 16 wins.
3. The Chiefs are headed to the playoffs for the ninth-straight season.
Kansas City clinched a playoff spot for the ninth-straight season on Sunday, marking the second-longest streak of consecutive postseason trips in NFL history. Only the Patriots, who recorded 11 straight from 2009-19, own a longer streak.
The Chiefs have now made the playoffs in 10 of Head Coach Andy Reid's 11 seasons in Kansas City.
4. The Chiefs' defense held Cincinnati scoreless in the second half.
Cincinnati scored on each of its first three possessions in Sunday's game – tallying 17 points – but after that, the Chiefs' defense held the Bengals to just 124 net total yards and a grand total of zero points. In fact, on Cincinnati's seven possessions following their fast start, the Chiefs forced four punts (including three "three-and-outs") and two turnovers on downs.
The Chiefs have now held the opposition to 20 or fewer points in a league-most 12 games this year.
5. Linebacker Willie Gay was responsible for one of the biggest moments of the game.
One of the plays of the game on Sunday was Gay's stop on fourth down midway through the third quarter that flipped possession back to Kansas City's offense. The Bengals, who drove all the way to the Chiefs' 6-yard line on the series, had an opportunity to go up 11 points with a touchdown. They chose to go for it on 4th-and-1 with that possibility in mind, but Gay shot through the line and tackled running back Joe Mixon for a loss.
The play meant that Cincinnati had nothing to show for an 11-play, 74-yard series, and as it turned out, the Bengals never entered the red zone again.
6. Kicker Harrison Butker connected on a career-most six field goals.
Butker was tremendous on Sunday, converting a career-most six field goal attempts that chipped away at – and ultimately overtook – the Bengals' double-digit lead. He converted field goals of 54 yards, 43 yards, 27 yards, 24 yards, 48 yards and 46 yards in the game.
The performance trailed only Cairo Santos' seven-field goal outing in 2015 in terms of single-game field goal totals in franchise history.
7. Tailback Isiah Pacheco recorded a career day on the ground.
Pacheco was outstanding on Sunday, rushing for a career-best 130 yards while averaging 7.2 yards-per-carry. Nine of Pacheco's 18 carries picked up at least five yards, including runs of 35 and 37 yards. The second-year running back was also effective as a receiver, catching seven passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Pacheco now has 935 rushing yards – and 1,179 yards from scrimmage – on the season.
8. Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice hauled in five catches for 127 yards.
Rice compiled one of the top games of his young career on Sunday, catching five passes for a team-most 127 yards. He now ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards since Week 12 with 518, and for the season, his 938 receiving yards rank second among all rookies.
Only the Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua, who has 1,445 receiving yards this season, has tallied more yards through the air than Rice among rookies.
9. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes moved to 18-4 immediately following a loss in his career.
Mahomes completed 21-of-29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, leading the Chiefs to victory for the 18th time in his career immediately following a defeat. Mahomes is now 18-4 in those situations during his career, and 5-1 this season.
Mahomes has lost back-to-back games just four times across 96 career starts.
10. Mahomes also topped 4,000 passing yards for the sixth-straight season.
Mahomes also hit a personal milestone on Sunday, topping the 4,000-yard mark for the sixth-straight time. Only Drew Brees (12 straight from 2006-17), Matt Ryan (10 straight from 2011-20), Philip Rivers (8 straight from 2013-20), Peyton Manning (8 straight from 2006-14) and Matthew Stafford (7 straight from 2011-17) own longer streaks in NFL history.
Mahomes is one of only two players, joining Peyton Manning, to throw for 4,000+ yards six times through seven seasons as a professional. Mahomes, of course, only played one game during his rookie year.
The Chiefs will now prepare for the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers this upcoming Sunday before kicking off another playoff run.
