Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid greets Las Vegas Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham after Week 18.
The Kansas City Chiefs have secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff bracket and depending on what happens with the Buffalo Bills later today on January 8, they could clinch homefield advantage in the AFC championship game as well.
And it felt like they did so without breaking a sweat on the road against the division rival Las Vegas Raiders. After the game finished 31-13, head coach Andy Reid addressed Chiefs Kingdom, thanking them for showing out in Vegas on a Saturday afternoon.
“Our fans were unbelievable,” Big Red told reporters right near the start of his postgame press conference. “I literally mentioned it before the game to the guys, there was a lot of red there [in Las Vegas] — there was a lot of black too — and it’s just going to be continuous noise throughout the game.”
“Normally, [on] defense at an away game, [the opposition] doesn’t have to worry about the noise [but] they were going to have to worry about it today,” Reid explained. “My hat goes off to our fans.”
Game Notes From Andy Reid for Chiefs vs Raiders
As Coach Reid went through his typical postgame wrap-up, he commended the defense as a whole for their efforts in the regular season finale.
“I thought our run defense and pass defense were tremendous,” he noted. “The fourth down stand kind of set the tempo for the game as we went. Mike Danna — he doesn’t get mentioned very often — with a couple of sacks in there, along with Chris Jones and George [Karlaftis]. So, our defensive front — starts with them — and I thought they played well.”
Reid also credited the secondary, stating: “Our young defensive secondary I thought also played well, especially the safeties. Again, they don’t get a lot of credit for what they do but I thought they really played well and very aggressive.”
As for the offense, Reid voiced that it “starts with the offensive line,” adding that he thought his blockers did a “good job” against pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones.
He also praised a few of his playmakers. “It was good to see K.T. [Kadarius Toney] get a back-to-back gain like that — back-to-back touchdowns, one got called back and then he got another one right after that so he’s tough to bring down and [shows] great quickness,” he continued. “Justin Watson starting it off with the big catch, Pat [Mahomes] was on fire, 105 quarterback rating again… and then [Travis] Kelce again doing what he’s done.”
Don’t forget the punter! Reid ended on special teams, touting “what a weapon” Tommy Townsend has become in the never-ending field-position battle.
Chiefs Await Bills News, Wildcard Round
The only downside of this victory is that Chiefs fans will have to wait a couple of weeks to see Kansas City play their next football game.
As Mahomes said after the finale, they’ll watch some football today and next weekend to see what awaits them in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. The first step is Buffalo.
The Bills play the New England Patriots in Week 18, and a win would set up a unique scenario in 2022 where Kansas City could face Buffalo at a neutral site if both franchises were to make it to the AFC championship game.
If the Pats beat the Bills, however, that alteration would be off the table. Buffalo is the only team that KC would not face at Arrowhead Stadium after their victory over the Raiders.
Get the popcorn ready Chiefs Kingdom, it’s going to be a long two weeks.