Kansas City has been chasing Pittsburgh all season in the AFC playoff picture, and they are now tied at 11-1 thanks to an old friend.
Alex Smith went 31/46 for 296 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s 23-17 win. The win helped Washington improve to 5-7 and keep pace with the Giants atop of NFC East.
Alex Smith will be the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and every game we are reminded of how incredible his comeback story is.
Both the Chiefs and Steelers are now 11-1, but Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker at the moment due to their superior conference record. Pittsburgh is 8-0 in the AFC and Kansas City is 9-1.
Looking ahead, the Steelers have the tougher conference schedule remaining, but the Chiefs still have to travel to New Orleans, who is 10-2 and three games clear in the NFC North.
- PIT: at Buffalo, at Cincinnati, vs. Indianapolis, at Cleveland
- KC: at Miami, at New Orleans, vs. Atlanta, vs. Los Angeles
With only one bye under the new playoff format, the next four weeks will be critical for the fate of the AFC playoffs.
If you would like to mess around with different scenarios on your own, I recommend ESPN’s playoff machine.
