Chiefs will have lots of rest before resuming quest to three-peat as Super Bowl champs

The biggest question facing the Kansas City Chiefs as they resume their quest to become the first team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowls is whether 3 1/2 weeks’ rest will result in too much rust.

Patrick Mahomes and most of Kansas City’s other stars last played on Christmas Day, when they walloped the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure the AFC’s top seed and lone first-round bye.

The Chiefs (15-2) rested their regulars in their season finale at Denver and the Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought with an emphatic 38-0 win, delivering Andy Reid’s first shutout in his 12 seasons as Chiefs head coach and handing him just the fourth overall of his 26-year NFL head coaching career.

That also marked the second-biggest blowout of a Reid-coached team, behind only a 42-0 whitewash at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in 2005 while he was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles.

That may have stung Reid and the Chiefs a bit but it hardly mattered — and maybe their prolonged break won’t, either. Reid is 29-5 in his career after a bye, including 7-1 in the playoffs following rest in Round 1, 3-0 with Philadelphia and 4-1 with Kansas City.

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Still, it’ll be 24 or 25 days between games for Mahomes & Co. by the time Kansas City hosts a divisional round game Jan. 18 or 19.

The Chiefs won the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season and two of their division rivals joined them in the postseason party.

Jim Harbaugh led the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) into the playoffs in his first season back in the NFL, and Sean Payton’s Broncos (10-7) are back for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

The Chargers kick off wild-card weekend Saturday with a visit to the Houston Texans (10-7) and Russell Wilson returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 when the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) visit the Baltimore Ravens (12-5).

On Sunday, the Broncos visit the Buffalo Bills (13-4), the only other team to beat K.C. this season.

1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-2).

Four Lombardi Trophies in six Super Bowl appearances: lost to Packers 35-10 in Super Bowl 1, beat Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl 4, beat 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl 54, lost to Buccaneers 31-9 in Super Bowl 55, beat Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl 57, beat 49ers 25-22 in OT in Super Bowl 58.

Lift the Lombardi: They know what it takes. The Chiefs have won the past two Super Bowls and three since Mahomes took over as starting QB in 2018. There is something to be said for that kind of experience. Plus, this version of the Chiefs is the most complete in years. The acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins coupled with the return of Marquis Brown from a shoulder injury make the Chiefs potent on offense, while a defense headlined by All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and standout cornerback Trent McDuffie is allowing just 18 points per game.

Cancel the confetti: While the Chiefs have hit their stride late in the season, nobody will forget the fact that they won many of their games on the final play, and often in bizarre fashion. They had three different kickers hit game-winning field goals, and they blocked what would have been a game-winner by Denver in Week 10 as time expired. The Chiefs have a penchant for playing teams close, and allowing anybody — much less a playoff team — to hang around is tantamount to playing with fire.

“We feel like we can continue to get better and better. But obviously we’re playing — especially offensively — our best football at the end of the year.” — Mahomes.

2. BUFFALO BILLS(13-4).

No Lombardi trophies in four Super Bowl appearances: lost to Giants 20-19 in Super Bowl 25, lost to Washington 37-24 in Super Bowl 26, lost to Cowboys 52-17 in Super Bowl 27, lost to Cowboys 30-13 in Super Bowl 28.

Lift the Lombardi: With Josh Allen, anything and everything seems possible. Overseeing an offense that featured numerous question marks at receiver following the offseason trade of Stefon Diggs to Houston, the seventh-year pro produced NFL MVP-caliber numbers on a team that set single-season records for points scored and touchdowns and matched the franchise mark for wins. The Bills also had balance in becoming the NFL’s first team to score 30 TDs on the ground and in the air.

Cancel the confetti: Questions remain on a defense that allowed 300 or more yards 10 times, the most since doing so 11 times in 2020, and Buffalo went 1-3 when allowing 400 yards. Buffalo’s ability to finish third in the NFL in forcing 32 takeaways offset its defensive inconsistencies, but is that a formula for success when facing the league’s elite teams in the playoffs?

“Everybody eats in this offense and it’s a mantra that we’ve had. And I think that’s a testament to that,” Allen, on matching the franchise record for wins and matching an NFL record in having 13 players finish with a TD catch.

3. BALTIMORE RAVENS (12-5).

Two Lombardi trophies in two Super Bowl appearances: beat Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl 35, beat 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl 47.

Lift the Lombardi: Baltimore’s offense continues to reach new heights in the Lamar Jackson era. After adding Derrick Henry this season, the Ravens became the first team ever to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 3,000 in the same season. And those aren’t empty yards. Jackson threw for 41 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Henry rushed for 16 TDs and Mark Andrews caught 11 TD passes. This has been an excellent team in the red zone.

Cancel the confetti: Penalties have been a problem, and it’s easy to envision a good quarterback having a big day against this team if the Ravens can’t cover opposing receivers effectively. Also, for the first time in his career there were major questions about kicker Justin Tucker’s dependability. He’s looked better of late, but hasn’t had to do all that much during the team’s four-game winning streak.

“You just have to take it one game at a time, knowing that last year didn’t end the way we wanted, so just using that as fuel. But, you can’t jump right back to the AFC championship game, because it’s a damn good Pittsburgh team that’s coming in here.” — LB Roquan Smith.

4. HOUSTON TEXANS(10-7).

No Super Bowl appearances.

Lift the Lombardi: Houston’s pass rush, led by Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., is the team’s biggest strength. Hunter, in his first season with the Texans after eight seasons in Minnesota, tied for fifth in the NFL with 12 sacks. Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, had a career-high 11 sacks. Their performances have helped the Texans pile up 49 sacks, which is tied for fourth most in the NFL and the most in franchise history. The defensive front pairs with a secondary led by Derek Stingley Jr. that ranks second in the NFL with 19 interceptions.

Cancel the confetti: The Texans are thin at receiver after losing starters Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to season-ending knee injuries. Nico Collins leads the team with 1,006 yards receiving, but Houston has failed to find a legitimate option to play alongside him since Dell was injured Dec. 21. They signed Diontae Johnson, who was released by the Ravens after being suspended for refusing to enter a game, but it’s unclear how much he can help after only recently joining the team. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has struggled as the injuries to his receivers have piled up and the second-year pro had 12 interceptions this season after throwing just five as a rookie.

“You’re more excited just because you’ve got the really hard part of the season done. Now it’s go play your best ball, go show your best stuff.” — Stroud.

5.LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (11-6).

No Lombardi trophies in one Super Bowl appearance: lost to 49ers 49-26 in Super Bowl 29 when franchise was located in San Diego.

Lift the Lombardi: Justin Herbert and the Chargers are going into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak. The offense scored on 18 of its past 25 drives to end the regular season with the running and passing games both in synch. The defense leads the league in fewest points allowed and has been aggressive in getting after the quarterback.

Cancel the confetti: If there is a flaw with the Chargers, it is their tendency to allow big plays. Los Angeles has allowed 11 touchdown passes of at least 25 yards, which is the second most in the league.

“I think it’s always an exciting opportunity to go play in the playoffs. That’s all you want, you just want to take it to the dance,” — Herbert.

6. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-7).

Six Lombardi trophies in eight Super Bowl appearances: beat Vikings 16-6 in Super Bowl 9, beat Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl 10, beat Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl 13, beat Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl 14, lost to Cowboys 27-17 in Super Bowl 30, beat Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl 40, beat Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl 43, lost to Packers 31-25 in Super Bowl 45.

Lift the Lombardi: The Steelers have something perhaps no other team in the playoffs does: true difference-makers at all three levels of the defense in seemingly ageless DT Cam Heyward, OLB T.J. Watt and S Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers tied with Minnesota for the most takeaways (34) in the league while taking care of the ball, a formula they relied on heavily during their 10-3 start. And there’s this: the previous time Pittsburgh entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in 2005, they won the fifth of the franchise’s six Super Bowl titles.

Cancel the confetti: Pittsburgh’s rocky closing stretch did little to inspire confidence. Losing four straight to finish off the regular season will do that. It wasn’t so much that the Steelers lost to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City, but the way that they lost to them that is so troubling. Pittsburgh wasn’t competitive while facing three of the league’s elite teams, falling by an average of 16 points. Russell Wilson and the offense sputtered for long stretches and the defense eventually wore down. The idea they can turn it around quickly enough to win a single game — let alone the four required to lift the Lombardi Trophy makes them a long shot.

“I doubt anyone in here, unless they were told that we’re underdogs, knows that we’re underdogs. It doesn’t matter.” — WR Calvin Austin III.

7. DENVER BRONCOS (10-7).

Three Lombardi trophies in eight Super Bowl appearances: lost to Cowboys 27-10 in Super Bowl 12; lost to Giants 39-20 in Super Bowl 21, lost to Washington 42-10 in Super Bowl 22, lost to 49ers 55-10 in Super Bowl 24, beat Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl 32, beat Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl 33, lost to Seahawks 43-8 in Super Bowl 48, beat Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.

Lift the Lombardi: QB Bo Nix isn’t your typical rookie. He started 61 games at Auburn and Oregon, most in NCAA history for a quarterback. His 29 touchdown passes were two shy of Herbert’s NFL rookie record. And Denver’s defense had an NFL-most and franchise-record 63 sacks, led by Nik Bonitto’s 13 1/2, Jonathon Cooper’s 10 1/2 and Zach Allen’s 8 1/2, all career highs. Kicker Wil Lutz tied Jason Elam’s franchise record with 31 field goals.

Hold the confetti: Yes, the Broncos ended their long playoff drought, but as the seventh seed they’ll be on the road, where they went 4-5 this season. The Broncos need more offensive playmakers, especially at tight end and in the backfield, to truly be considered a championship contender.

“It’s playoff football. Everybody’s 0-0. I don’t think there’s any true meaning of underdog, especially in this atmosphere that’s coming up. We have a great opportunity in our sights, and we’re just going to go out there and play our brand of football.” — CB Patrick Surtain II.

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AP Sports Writers Dave Skretta, John Wawrow, Noah Trister, Kristie Rieken, Will Graves and Joe Reedy contributed.

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