KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while running for a major on his ailing ankle, and the Kansas City Chiefs took a big step toward securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday.
The AFC West champion Chiefs (14-1), who have won four straight against the AFC South champ Texans (9-6), can clinch the post-season bye if Buffalo loses to or ties New England on Sunday. If the Bills win, Kansas City can wrap it up by beating Pittsburgh on Christmas Day.
Xavier Worthy had seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, Kareem Hunt ran for 55 yards and another score, and Marquise Brown had five catches for 45 yards for Kansas City in his first game this season after recovering from a shoulder injury.
C.J. Stroud had 244 yards and two touchdown passes with two interceptions for Houston, though one of those TD throws came at great expense. Tank Dell, who had six catches for 98 yards, hurt his left knee on the play and was carted from the field and rushed to hospital.
Dalton Schultz also had a TD reception for the Texans. Joe Mixon was held to 57 yards rushing.
Elsewhere in the NFL on Saturday:
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RAVENS 34 STEELERS 17
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Humphrey scored on a fourth-quarter interception return to help Baltimore pull even with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North with a victory over the Steelers.
Pittsburgh (10-5) would have clinched the division with a victory, but now the teams are deadlocked after the Ravens (10-5) won for just the second time in the last 10 games in this series. Baltimore clinched a playoff berth. The Steelers had already done so.
Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes, the second of which tied the game at 17-17 with 5:14 left in the third quarter. Jackson answered with a seven-yard scoring strike to Mark Andrews, and after Pittsburgh turned the ball over on downs, a 44-yard run by Derrick Henry put the Ravens in the red zone.
That drive came to nothing when Jackson was intercepted for just the fourth time this season, but then Humphrey picked off Wilson and went 37 yards to the end zone to give Baltimore a cushion in a series that’s been razor-thin of late.
The previous nine games between the Steelers and Ravens were decided by seven points or fewer.
Jackson improved to 2-4 against Pittsburgh as a starter. This was his first time facing the Steelers at home since 2020.
The Associated Press