The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up the regular season with a victory on Saturday night as they fought back to defeat the Denver Broncos, 28-24, and lock up at least the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
Here are some quick notes about the victory.
1. Melvin Ingram and Nick Bolton combined to make the play of the game.
The Broncos were leading midway through the fourth quarter and were looking for more until Ingram jarred the ball loose from tailback Melvin Gordon at the Chiefs' 13-yard line. Bolton then scooped up the fumble and rumbled 86 yards for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. It was a massive play that completely flipped the game, as Bolton recorded the longest game-winning defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter or overtime in franchise history.
The play capped an outstanding rookie campaign for Bolton, who became the first rookie to lead Kansas City in tackles (112) since 1986.
2. Patrick Mahomes tossed a pair of touchdowns.
Mahomes completed 27-of-44 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns in the game while also rushing for 54 yards on nine carries. He found tight end Travis Kelce for a 3-yard touchdown on Kansas City's opening series – capping a 17-play, 91-yard scoring drive – before later hitting tailback Jerick McKinnon for a 14-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
The victory marked his 50th career win in just 63 starts, making him the second-fastest quarterback to that mark in the Super Bowl Era. Only Ken Stabler (62 starts) did so faster. Additionally, Mahomes also became the second-fastest player to reach 150 career passing touchdowns in league history, trailing only Dan Marino (62 games).
The 26-year-old Mahomes finished the 2021 regular season with a career-most 436 completions to go along with 4,839 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
3. Mecole Hardman recorded the first 100-yard game of his career.
The Chiefs were without wide receiver Tyreek Hill for the bulk of Saturday's game due to a heel injury sustained during warmups, providing Hardman with an opportunity that he didn't waste.
The former second-round pick hauled in eight catches for a career-most 103 yards in the contest, marking his first game with 100 receiving yards as a professional. He reached that milestone with a significant play, too, recording a 44-yard catch on Kansas City's final, game-sealing drive.
4. Travis Kelce reached a career milestone.
Kelce tallied four grabs for 34 yards in the game, including a 12-yard, game-sealing reception that moved the chains on third down late in the contest and allowed Kansas City to run out the clock.
The All-Pro tight end also topped 9,000 career receiving yards in the game, becoming only the sixth tight end in NFL history to achieve that feat. In fact, Kelce now has the most receiving yards (9,006) by a tight end through 10 career seasons in league history. To make that accomplishment all the more remarkable, Kelce has only played nine seasons as a professional, and that includes a rookie campaign in which he only appeared in one game.
5. Darrel Williams topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the season.
Williams recorded 47 yards from scrimmage (30 receiving, 17 rushing) on Saturday to surpass the 1,000-mark for the first time in his career. Williams, who left the game early due to an injured toe, finished his breakout campaign with 1,010 yards (55 rushing yards, 452 receiving yards) and eight total touchdowns. He joined Hill and Kelce as one of three players on Kansas City this season to each record 1,000+ yards from scrimmage and 8+ scores.
Williams is one of just four undrafted players in franchise history to tally 1,000+ yards from scrimmage in a season, joining Priest Holmes (2001-04), Tony Richardson (2000) and Stephone Paige (1990).
6. Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith started every game this season.
Humphrey and Smith have been nothing short of outstanding this season, manning the interior of Kansas City's offensive line with a consistently brilliant level of play. Both players started every game this season, becoming the 17th and 18th rookies in team history to suit up for every contest. Additionally, because of the expanded schedule, Humphrey and Smith are the first rookies in franchise history to each start 17 games during their first season in the NFL.
Entering Sunday's Week 18 matchups, Humphrey is currently the No. 1 center in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus while Smith is the No. 10 overall guard (min. 1,000 snaps) and the top rookie at his position.
7. Kansas City has now won at least 12 games in four consecutive seasons.
The Chiefs are now one of only five teams in NFL history to win 12+ games in four-straight seasons, joining the 2010-17 New England Patriots (8 straight), the 2003-09 Indianapolis Colts (7 straight), the 2012-15 Denver Broncos (4 straight) and the 1992-95 Dallas Cowboys (4 straight).
This marks the third time since 1990 that a team has won 12+ games after winning no more than three of their first seven contests in the same season.
8. It marked the Chiefs' 13th straight win over Denver.
Kansas City extended its winning streak to 13 consecutive victories over the Broncos with Saturday's win, tying the mark for the sixth-longest streak over a single opponent in NFL history. It's the longest active winning streak in the NFL and the longest since 2010.
9. The Chiefs went 5-1 against the AFC West in 2021.
The Chiefs' winning streak over Denver is part of a larger stretch of unmatched domination over the AFC West. Kansas City went 5-1 against the division this season, winning each of its last five matchups against AFC West opponents, and is now a ridiculous 36-6 against the division since 2015.
That's the best mark for any team against their own division in that span, and entering Sunday's games, it's six more victories than the next best team.
10. It marked Coach Reid's 250th career victory.
Reid reached 250 career wins (including the playoffs) on Saturday, which is the fifth-most in NFL history. Only Don Shula (347), George Halas (324), Bill Belichick (321) and Tom Landry (270) recorded more total victories in their careers.
Now, with another tremendous regular season in the books, Reid and the Chiefs will look to make the Super Bowl for a third-straight year as the playoffs get underway.
