The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the top seed in the AFC, and head coach Andy Reid celebrated the achievement by dressing up like Santa Claus following the team’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
Andy Reid Dresses Up As Santa Claus Following Kansas City’s Victory
After the Chiefs’ 29-10 win over the Steelers, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were seen wearing Christmas jackets, and then Reid emerged as Santa.
“That’s what I’m talking about, baby! Hey, Merry Christmas, men! I’m proud of you dudes,” Reid said. “For the present, you get home-field advantage!”
“For the present, you get home field advantage.”
Santa Reid giving the best gift of all. 😂🎅 #NFLonNetflix pic.twitter.com/vUBUCI0lZT
— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2024
Some may criticize how Kansas City got to this point, but a win is a win, and the Chiefs have now won 15 of 16 games to start the 2024-25 season.
This is Kansas City’s second win in five days. Mahomes has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with having to play three games in 11 days.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Mahomes said prior to the team’s Week 15 contest against the Cleveland Browns. “You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body. But at the end of the day it’s your job, your profession, you have to come to work and do it.”
The Chiefs, Steelers, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens were chosen to represent the league on Netflix’s NFL Christmas doubleheader this season. The NFL tried to give some space between games for the teams playing on Christmas Day by moving their Week 16 games up a day to Saturday, but it was still a challenge.
With that being said, the Chiefs won all three games, earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage as they try to make NFL history as the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.
Perks of Being Securing the No. 1 Seed
What does a first-round bye mean for the two-time defending champs? The first-round bye means that the Chiefs will get a nice break before their next meaningful game.
They worked really hard over the last two weeks, so they can now look forward to healing and setting their sights on history.
Secondly, they have done this before, so they know how to maximize every moment of their time off and also be ready when the bright lights turn on.
Since seeding playoff teams began in 1976, 26 out of a possible 49 Super Bowl champions have had the No. 1 seed, good for 53% of all winners.
The Chiefs were the No. 1 seed last season when they won it all, and the No. 3 seed when they won the year prior.
A first-round bye means that they will get a week of rest after the regular season ends, as opposed to preparing for a game and competing to advance to the next round.
For Mahomes, the break is even more meaningful, as it might allow him to be there for the birth of his third child.
“I told my wife I was gonna get her the No. 1 seed so we can go have that baby,” he said after the win over Pittsburgh.
Teams have spent the last four months traveling from city to city, and that would take a toll on anyone. Now, the AFC will run through Arrowhead Stadium.