Kelce’s touchdown, which took place early in the fourth quarter, essentially put the game away and also cashed in on Kansas City’s second takeaway of the game – a forced fumble by cornerback Trent McDuffie – in what marked McDuffie’s third-straight game with a forced turnover.
Overall, the Chiefs’ defense – despite missing the services of defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was absent on Wednesday due to a calf injury – matched a season-high with five sacks and notched two takeaways. It all helped Kansas City hold Pittsburgh to its lowest point total of the season, which included just three points in the second half.
Additionally, Wednesday’s win put a bow on a grueling stretch of three games in 11 days in which Kansas City forced a whopping 10 turnovers on defense and special teams while committing zero turnovers (and allowing just one sack) on offense.
In short, it’s clear that Kansas City is playing its best football of the season at the perfect time.
“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 said. “We’re getting guys healthy. We’re excited. We’re going to keep working. This isn’t the end. This is just the beginning. We’ll continue to work to get even better as we go into the playoffs.”
In terms of injuries, tailback Isiah Pacheco (ribs) left Wednesday’s game early.
The Chiefs will now have some additional time off before closing out the regular season against the Denver Broncos.