Chiefs clinched top seed, now need help to end talk of a neutral-site playoff game
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The Chiefs took care of business by defeating the Raiders 31-13 on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
That locked up the top seed and a bye in the first round of the AFC playoffs for the Chiefs.
“Yeah, it’s important,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said in an interview on ESPN after the game. “Getting a bye is like winning a playoff game.”
That means the Chiefs, 14-3, will be back at Arrowhead Stadium for a divisional round playoff game on the weekend of Jan. 21-22.
If the Chiefs win, they could be host to the AFC Championship Game, too. There are two possibilities and both require the Chiefs winning their divisional-round game..
That puts Chiefs fans in a most unusual position: rooting for the Patriots to win on Sunday in Buffalo. Heck, a tie would work, too.
The only way a neutral-site AFC Championship Game would take place is if the Bills, 12-3, win Sunday and advance to the title game, along with the Chiefs.
The cancellation of Monday’s Bills-Bengals game forced the NFL to put a contingency plan in place for a neutral-site AFC Championship Game.
Bills-Patriots info
Here’s a closer look at that Patriots-Bills game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The game, which kicks off at noon, will air on KCTV (Ch. 5) in Kansas City.
The Bills’ Damar Hamlin tweeted a thank you to fans everywhere who prayed for his recovery from a cardiac arrest in Monday’s game in Cincinnati. One would think his Bills teammates would be fired up to win one for Damar on Sunday.
New England should be motivated, too, because it can clinch a playoff spot with a victory (or losses by the Dolphins and Steelers).
Buffalo is a 7-point betting favorite.
The weather forecast for Sunday is a high of 35 degrees with a mix of clouds and sunshine.
It’s not unanimous, but most NFL pundits think Buffalo will win and make the league look into neutral sites for a potential (but certainly not guaranteed) AFC Championship Game between the Bills and Chiefs.
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