KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Christmas came four days late for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it was worth the wait.
The Miami Dolphins (5-11) defeated New England, 27-24, while being 17-point road underdogs. New England's home loss combined with Kansas City's 31-21 home win against the Los Angeles Chargers (5-11) gifted the Chiefs (12-4) a first-round bye and a much-needed week off heading into the playoffs. The Chiefs (12-4) are now the No. 2 seed and will face the highest-remaining seed advancing from NFL Wildcard Weekend. The players and coaches rejoiced after finding out they had a week off.
"All in all, [it was] a great game and hail to the Dolphins," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said during the post game press conference. "The fans were hollering. And, I figured something good was happening."
Coach Reid told media that he was adamant on not having the New England score posted on the stadium scoreboard during the game. He wanted his players to focus on the task of controlling its own destiny by beating the Chargers at home. However, most fans inside the stadium were watching both games on separate screens and hoping for a Christmas miracle. For many fans inside Chiefs Kingdom, the final few minutes were certainly nerve-wracking. Andy Reid made sure that was not the case for his players.
"They kind of kept it away from us so we could focus on the game," Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. "Obviously, you want to get that bye to have that week off. It's basically like winning a playoff game and then getting to play a game at home. So, we're excited for that. And, we're gonna keep building this momentum and keep it going."
