KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Courtesy a 36-10 dismantling of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas City Chiefs add another AFC title to the mantle Sunday.
Channeling Andy Reid’s ‘next man up’ mentality, Kansas City claimed its sixth straight division title, seemingly unaffected by an early week virus outbreak that left many starters sidelined.
“Just go out and execute it and take advantage of the opportunity,” wide receiver Byron Pringle said postgame.
The former Kansas State Wildcat did exactly that in the team’s win over Pittsburgh, leading the team in targets, catches, yards and finding the endzone twice.
“That’s the biggest thing of the day, to take advantage of opportunity,” Pringle said.
Unable to clear protocols in time, Kansas City’s all-world tight end Travis Kelce was a no-go, creating a Zeus-sized opportunity for the third-year receiver.
#Chiefs Byron Pringle recorded his first career multi-TD game Sunday but it's a play he didn't make that stands out the most.
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) December 27, 2021
"I gotta tighten up"
A piece of our @KSHB41 exclusive interview: pic.twitter.com/APv0sAEG0a
“It was weird not having the guys,” Pringle said. “They bring that good energy, that uplifting energy. So when we go out to the field, you have to just create your own energy.”
Pringle’s second touchdown of the night sent waves of energy through the Arrowhead Stadium crowd, turning a 5-yard catch into a 10-yard touchdown after eluding a pair of Steelers defensive backs.
“We’re all together, we just got to keep fine-tuning it week in and week out,” he said.
Naturally, the thought nagging Pringle the most after this first career multi-score game is a play he didn’t make.
“The one drop I had,” Pringle said jokingly. “I told myself I'm going in ... I can't keep dropping those. I got to keep applying pressure.”
Kansas City looks to keep the pressure up as the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed continues Sunday in Cincinnati.
