The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched their ninth straight AFC West title but they still have something to accomplish in the regular season and that’s securing the number one seed in the playoffs. The Chiefs didn’t earn the top seed last year but have in three of Patrick Mahomes’ six years as a starter.

Having the top seed has become even more important since the playoffs expanded to seven teams because the number one seed is the only one who gets a first-round bye. With all of the Chiefs’ injuries, having a week off to rest up for the divisional round would be massive.

The good news is that the Chiefs now have a two-game lead on the Bills, thanks to the Rams’ upset win over Buffalo on Sunday. With the Bills owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over K.C., that Rams win provided some cushion for the Chiefs down the stretch.

Let’s take a look at each remaining game on Kansas City’s schedule and predict how they play out. Will the Chiefs be able to secure the top seed in the AFC playoffs?

Week 15 @ Cleveland Browns

First up is a road trip to Cleveland to play the pesky Browns. Considering that the Chiefs love to play close games that come down to the wire, you can bank on this game going in a similar fashion, especially with the Browns being such a sneaky team.

Jameis Winston is the definition of a quarterback giveths and then takeths away. He might throw a bomb of a touchdown to Jerry Jeudy but then on the Browns’ next possession, Winston will throw one of the worst interceptions you’ve seen that results in a pick-6.

The Chiefs can only hope that Winston is in a giving mood in this match-up and that he hasn’t been saved from pick-6’s quite yet.

Prediction: Chiefs 17, Browns 14

Week 16 vs. Houston Texans

At the beginning of the season, most Chiefs fans would have been a bit scared about this late-season match-up against the Texans. That is not necessarily the case now, as the Texans have been one of the more disappointing teams this year.

Now, it’s worth noting that Houston is still a playoff team due to playing in a weak division but considering they were looked at as a Super Bowl contender before the season began and now are just 8-5, yeah that’s a disappointment.

All of that being said, we know the Chiefs don’t blow teams out so this one is yet probably another nail-biter. C.J. Stroud, despite having a down year, is still a good quarterback and should be able to keep the Texans in this one.

Prediction: Chiefs 21, Texans 20

Week 17 @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have been a surprising team this year, not because they’re a good team but because of HOW good they’ve been. Not many people would have picked them to win the AFC North but as of now, they’re on pace to do just that. That’s what makes this Christmas Day game between these two teams so intriguing.

At the beginning of the season, this game didn’t seem too daunting. The Steelers might find a way to not suffer a losing season under Mike Tomlin but as far as scary teams are concerned, they didn’t fall into that category. I’ll admit that I’ve changed my tune about Pittsburgh after having the black and yellow cruise to their 10-3 record against tough competition.

Russell Wilson is having a Comeback Player of the Year-type of season and knows this Chiefs team well from his time with the Broncos. The Chiefs aren’t going to run the table and while they’re the better team in this match-up, the better team doesn’t always win.

Prediction: Chiefs 18, Steelers 22

Week 18 @ Denver Broncos

It’s always tough to predict Week 18 match-ups, especially this early out because we don’t know if the starters will be suiting up or not. If the Chiefs are able to lock up the top seed in the conference before Week 18, then Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and the rest of the stars will get two weeks off before their divisional round match-up.

If, however, the Bills are still breathing down the Chiefs’ neck for the top seed when we enter Week 18, then the starters will be playing because everything is on the line there. On the other side of the field will be the Broncos, who have been a surprising team this year and are in the playoff picture after Week 14.

The Broncos finish the year against the Colts, Chargers, Bengals, and then the Chiefs, so their path to holding onto their playoff spot won’t be easy. If they have a chance to win and be in the postseason while also ruining Kansas City’s chance at clinching homefield advantage, they’re going to do their darndest to ensure that happens.

That being said, if the number one seed is on the line and the Chiefs have to win this game to get it, that’s what they’re going to do. It’d be great if a Chiefs win over Denver in Week 18 kept the Broncos out of the playoffs but I’m not sure that’ll be a possible scenario by the time this game rolls around. Either way, give me K.C. to sweep the AFC West in the 2024 season.

Prediction: Chiefs 24, Broncos 17

If these predictions come to fruition, the Chiefs would finish the year at 15-2 and that would be good enough to get them the top seed. Even if the Bills manage to win out, they’d be one game behind K.C. (though let’s hope the Bills drop at least one more game to increase the cushion).

Let’s hope things do play out this way (or that K.C. runs the table) so that the Chiefs can rest up and be as healthy as possible as they begin their playoff quest toward a Super Bowl three-peat.