Kansas City Chiefs control their own destiny in week 17
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off back to back losses, but are still in the best possible scenario heading into week 17. They control their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs.
This time last year, Chiefs Kingdom didn’t have to panic. The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West in week 16 and that made week 17 somewhat irrelevant (though it was Patrick Mahomes’ NFL debut, which was pretty darn cool). This year, things are different, but the team is still in a good spot for the season finale next weekend.
All the Chiefs have to do on Sunday is win and they’ll not only win their third straight AFC West title, but will sit as the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. Their opponent is the four-win Oakland Raiders, who have nothing to play for at this point of the season.
The Raiders are coming off a win over the Broncos, but the Broncos are bad and it was potentially the final game at the Black Hole. That gave the Raiders something to play for on Christmas Eve. In week 17, however, those guys will want nothing to do with being out in the cold weather at Arrowhead Stadium.
More from Kansas City Chiefs
- How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
- The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule
- DraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!
- Fan-Favorite Locks Up Chiefs Roster Spot With Stellar Preseason Performance
- DraftKings NFL Kansas Promo: Bet $5 on Chiefs vs. Saints, Win $150 Bonus!
It would have been nice if Kansas City could have clinched home field advantage last week, but they still have a favorable situation ahead of them. The starters will still play (unless it becomes a blowout later on), but it could be a much worse scenario for this team considering they’ve lost back to back games and have hit a lull at the worst possible time.
It’s win and get the top seed for the Chiefs in week 17. If they win, they don’t have to worry about what the Chargers or Patriots or Texans or anyone else does because the division and the one-seed will be theirs.
If the Chiefs lose, they better hope for a Chargers loss as well because otherwise they’ll be the five seed and playing over Wild Card weekend. That’d be devastating for a team that has been at the top of the pack all season long.
The most important thing is obviously winning this game. It’d be great if Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and the other key offensive players could sit out the second half due to a big Chiefs lead, but all the team needs is to get out of Arrowhead this weekend with a win under their belts.
The Raiders took KC down to the wire a few weeks ago and could do their best to play spoiler, but that’s why the Chiefs need to get off to a big lead early. All the Kansas City Chiefs have to do is get a win in week 17 and that would mean the AFC playoffs would come through Arrowhead Stadium. That’s assuming, of course, that the team plays to their seed.
So, Chiefs fans, do you feel confident about the Kansas City Chiefs notching that top seed and then playing to their seed come playoff time?