The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be getting hot at just the right time and that could spell bad news for the rest of the AFC.
Especially if it means that the AFC playoffs will run through Arrowhead.
The Chiefs trampled over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, beating them in a 36-10 rout to improve to 11-4 and keep their hold on the top spot in the AFC by one game over the Tennessee Titans.
It also closed their home schedule for the season, finishing with a 7-2 record and holding opponents to 10 or fewer points in their last five home games.
Those included wins over the Packers (who were without Aaron Rodgers), Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders and Steelers.
If the Chiefs can hold onto the top spot (they have the Bengals and Broncos on the road next) they will get the lone first-round bye in the new playoff format and hold home-field advantage.
But it's not just that the Chiefs have been playing well at home, the defense has made significant improvement since the start of the season.
Through the first seven games, when the Chiefs started 3-4, the defense allowed 29 points per game and had seven turnovers. They now rank fifth in the league at 20.4 points per game and have forced 21 turnovers during their eight-game winning streak.
Listen to Kansas City sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Chiefs team gear
That is on top of an offense that features Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce and still put up 36 points without the latter on Sunday.
It is safe to say that the Chiefs are not a team anyone wants to see in January.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
