UNDATED (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.
The Chiefs’ offense was sluggish before a late TD drive gave them a 17-14 win over the Falcons.
Kansas City trailed 14-10 until Patrick Mahomes threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Demarcus Robinson with 1:55 remaining. The Falcons still had a chance to force overtime, but Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with nine seconds left.
Atlanta went ahead of Matt Ryan’s five-yard scoring pass to Laquon Treadwell with 4:33 remaining.
It was a day of personal achievement for Travis Kelce. The Chiefs standout has broken George Kittle’s NFL single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end, doing it against the Falcons. Kittle set the record two years ago with 1,377. Kelce also became the first tight end in NFL history with two 100-catch seasons, reaching the century mark just before halftime.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— The Steelers are AFC North champs after turning a 21-7 deficit into a 28-24 victory over the Colts. Ben Roethlisberger overcame a month-long malaise to throw for 342 yards and three second-half touchdowns as the 12-3 Steelers ended a three-game losing streak. He gave Pittsburgh its first second-half lead since Dec. 7 by hitting JuJu Smith-Schuster from 25 yards with 7:38 to play. The 10-5 Colts allowed just 28 yards in the first half before losing their grip on the final AFC wild-card berth.
— The Jets pulled off their second stunner in as many weeks by holding off the Browns, 23-20. The Browns erased most of a 20-3 deficit before Baker Mayfield fumbled twice in the fourth quarter, once on a sack and the second coming on fourth-and-1 with 1:18 remaining. Jamison Crowder caught a touchdown pass and threw one to Braxton Berrios on a razzle-dazzle play. Mayfield threw for 285 yards, but the 10-5 Browns managed just 45 on 18 carries.
— The Ravens leapfrogged over the Colts and Browns in the AFC wild-card scramble by downing the Giants, 27-13. Lamar Jackson engineered four scoring drives while Baltimore built a 20-3 halftime lead. Jackson threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 80 yards. The Ravens recorded six sacks of Daniel Jones, including three straight in the second half.
— Davante Adams caught three of Aaron Rodgers’ four touchdown passes as the Packers easily earned their fifth straight win, 40-14 over the Titans. Adams’ three touchdown catches gave him 17 this season, one off the Packers’ single-season record that Sterling Sharpe set in 1994. Green Bay ran wild behind 124 yards and two touchdowns from A.J. Dillon and 94 yards from Aaron Jones. The outcome prevented Tennessee from clinching the AFC South and gave the Colts another avenue for a playoff berth.
— Washington’s playoff hopes are up in the air after falling behind 20-0 in a 20-13 loss to the Panthers. Dwayne Haskins turned the ball over three times and was benched with Washington trailing 20-6 in the fourth quarter. Steven Sims muffed a punt return that turned into another Panthers touchdown. Washington has a one-game lead in the NFC East, but the Giants can still win the division at 6-10 with a win over the Cowboys and a Washington loss to the Eagles.
— The Cowboys kept themselves in contention for the NFC East title by whipping the Eagles, 37-17. Andy Dalton threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, two to Michael Gallup. CeeDee Lamb, Gallup and Amari Cooper each had a catch of at least 50 yards, all after the Eagles built a 17-3 lead. For the Cowboys to win the division, they need to beat the Giants next Sunday and have Washington lose to Philadelphia.
— The Seahawks claimed the NFC West title with a 20-9 win over the Rams. Russell Wilson threw a 13-yard TD pass to Jacob Hollister with 2:51 remaining to clinch the win. Wilson finished 20 of 32 for 225 yards for the 11-4 Seahawks, who are division champs for the first time since 2016. The 9-6 Rams can still reach the playoffs with a win over Arizona next weekend or a Bears loss to the Packers.
— Justin Herbert set the rookie record for most touchdown passes in a season while guiding the Chargers to their third straight win, 19-16 over the Broncos. Herbert’s 9-yard screen pass to Austin Ekeler in the second quarter was his 28th touchdown throw of the season, surpassing the 27 that Baker Mayfield had for Cleveland in 2018. He also became the fourth player to throw for over 4,000 yards as a rookie, joining Andrew Luck, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston. Michael Badgley tied a career high with four field goals, including the winning kick with 41 seconds remaining.
— The Bengals picked up their first road win in more than two years by dumping the Texans, 37-31. Samaje Perine ran for two TD’s, including a late 3-yard score in Cincinnati’s second straight win. The winning drive came after the two-minute warning and followed Darren Fells’ 22-yard scoring reception with about six minutes remaining. Brandon Allen passed for a career-best 371 yards and two touchdowns for the Bengals.
