Though neither one has the best record in the league — that belongs to the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers (11-0) — the first teams to clinch spots in the NFL playoffs are the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Saints (10-2) clinched their spot courtesy of a 21-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. That win, coupled with the Bears losing to the Lions, means New Orleans will play in the postseason for the fourth straight season.
Filling in for Drew Brees, quarterback Taysom Hill completed 27-of-37 passes for 232 yards and tossed two touchdowns, adding 83 rushing yards on 14 carries. Hill is now 3-0 as the starter for New Orleans and the Saints are 8-0 over the last two seasons without Brees in the lineup.
The Chiefs also locked up their playoff spot with a divisional win as Kansas City was able to outlast a plucky Denver Broncos team for a 22-16 victory on Sunday Night Football.
The offense wasn’t perfect for Kansas City as Patrick Mahomes threw for 318 yards but only had a single touchdown on the night. But kicker Harrison Butker was perfect on his five field goals, and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu was able to pick off Broncos quarterback Drew Lock with 24 seconds left to seal the win for the Chiefs.
“It’s obviously a big deal — you want to find a way to get in the playoffs — but we have bigger goals,” Mahomes said.
In Week 14, the Saints will travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles, and the Chiefs will go to Miami to take on the Dolphins.
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