Another final-second victory puts the Chiefs in prime spot to secure AFC’s No. 1 seed: Analysis

By ROB MAADDI The Associated Press

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright (49) watches his game-winning field goal as time expires in an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charlie Riedel]

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A thunderous doink helped the Kansas City Chiefs gain some breathing room in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC after the Buffalo Bills fell short despite Josh Allen’s spectacular performance.

The fight for the top spot in the NFC stayed close as the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles kept pace with the Detroit Lions.

Four weeks remain in the NFL regular season to determine the playoff picture.

There’s a clear leader in the fight for the AFC’s bye. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (12-1) are in excellent position to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after Matthew Wright drilled a 31-yard field goal off the left upright and through the goal posts as time expired for a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.

Patrick Mahomes again made all the big plays when the Chiefs needed them most and they rallied for their 15th straight one-score victory.

Kansas City has a two-game lead over the Bills (10-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3). Buffalo holds the tiebreaker over the Chiefs after handing Kansas City its only loss in Week 11. The Chiefs and Steelers face off in Pittsburgh on Christmas.

Russell Wilson improved to 6-1 this season, tossing two touchdown passes to help the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 27-14.

Allen became the second player in NFL history to throw three touchdown passes and run for three scores in the same game — Otto Graham did it for the Cleveland Browns in the 1954 NFL championship game — but Buffalo’s defense couldn’t stop Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and the Los Angeles Rams in a 44-42 loss on Sunday.

The Bills had won seven in a row. They visit the Lions next week while the Steelers go to Philadelphia.

The Eagles barely held on for a 22-16 victory over the feisty Carolina Panthers. The ugly win left some of Philadelphia’s players in a sour mood.

Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith weren’t thrilled with the offense’s performance. The Eagles (11-2) again relied on Saquon Barkley, who had 124 yards rushing on 20 carries.

That meant Jalen Hurts didn’t have to do much. He threw for just 108 yards with two TDs passing and one more rushing.

Barkley broke LeSean McCoy’s single-season franchise record for yards rushing. He’s up to 1,623 yards, moving closer to Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 set in 1984.

Brown, who slammed his helmet out of frustration on the sideline after a three-and-out in the third quarter, responded bluntly when asked where the offense needs improvement.

“Passing,” Brown said, without elaborating.

Brown was targeted just four times, catching all four passes for 43 yards. Hurts didn’t throw him the ball a couple of times when he was open, including on a TD pass to Smith.

Brown said it’s “incredibly tough” for receivers to get into a rhythm because the offense is so run-heavy.

The Eagles have won nine straight games and trail the Lions (12-1) by one game for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Detroit currently has the tiebreaker edge.

The Vikings stayed hot on the Lions’ heels thanks to a career day from Sam Darnold in a 42-21 rout over Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons.

Darnold had a career-best 347 yards passing and five touchdowns, leading Minnesota (11-2) to its sixth straight win. The Vikings finish the season in Detroit in a matchup that could determine the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

But there’s a long way to go until Jan. 5.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a 28-13 win over Las Vegas coupled with Atlanta’s fourth straight loss. The Buccaneers are 7-6 following their third straight win over a last-place team. The Falcons (6-7) swept the Buccaneers, so they own the tiebreaker.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-18 on the road to maintain their hold on first place in the NFC West. It’s a tight race involving the Seahawks (8-5), Rams (7-6), Cardinals (6-7) and San Francisco 49ers (6-7). The division could come down to the Seahawks-Rams game in Los Angeles in Week 18.

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This story has been corrected to show the score of Chargers-Chiefs game was 19-17.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl