It took right up until Week 17, but the AFC No. 1 seed has finally been locked up. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs were locked in a two-team battle for the last few weeks, and now, we know who will get a first-round bye.
Who Won the AFC No. 1 Seed?
After weeks of back and forth, the Chiefs have now clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
That means that they are guaranteed home-field advantage and will get a first-round bye on their quest to do something that has never been done in NFL history: win three straight Super Bowls.
➡️ Chiefs clinched #1 Seed
➡️ Steelers cannot be the #2 seed
➡️ If BAL does not win, Bills clinch #2 seed
➡️ If BAL wins, they need a tie in W18 to clinch
➡️ If BAL wins this week and loses next week, PIT will steal the division on Division record with a win over the Bengals pic.twitter.com/7AXCe4wM1K— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 25, 2024
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid went on the road and easily handled the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chiefs’ last loss was actually on Christmas Day to the Las Vegas Raiders last year.
That means that they have not suffered a loss for 366 straight days.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are now clinging to their AFC North chances and have slipped to the fifth seed in the AFC. They can no longer win the second seed and need to hope the Baltimore Ravens don’t win today against the Houston Texans.
AFC Playoff Race | Week 18
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
2. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
7. Denver Broncos (9-7)
In The Hunt
9. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
8. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
Eliminated From Playoffs
10. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
11. New York Jets (4-12)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
14. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
15. New England Patriots (3-13)
16. Cleveland Browns (3-14)