Winners and Losers from the Chiefs' Week 17 Victory Over the Steelers

In the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, multiple players stood out for good and bad reasons alike.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is interviewed by Netflix reporter Stacey Dales following a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Another week, another Kansas City Chiefs win in the books. After taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, the reigning Super Bowl champions have locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have a first-round bye for the postseason.

The road to the Super Bowl runs through Kansas City, which is a massive boost for Andy Reid's group. While Wednesday was one of the club's more impressive showings of the year, there's still room for improvement ahead of the playoffs.

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the 17th week of the regular season.

WINNER: Patrick Mahomes

It's unclear whether Patrick Mahomes will play in Week 18's finale against the Denver Broncos and if that's the case, he sure ended his regular season with a bang. Not only did he match his season-high mark with three passing touchdowns, but he threw for more yards than all but one game. Mahomes's sparkling 0.41 EPA/play blew Russell Wilson's out of the water. The two-time MVP won at all levels of the field on Christmas Day, making just about everyone forget about his high-ankle sprain. Mahomes is looking more like himself, which is a great thing for Kansas City.

LOSER: Special teams

Dave Toub's special teams unit has earned some grace following a game-winning blocked field goal earlier this season, but Wednesday wasn't a particularly good showing. Kicker Harrison Butker missed an extra point attempt (which was made more difficult thanks to Xavier Worthy) and safety Justin Reid lined up in the neutral zone on a kick. Additionally, the Chiefs got flagged for 12 men on the field on a punt, which extended a Pittsburgh drive. Nothing truly cost Kansas City in the end, but this group will need to avoid so many mishaps when games matter even more.

WINNER: Xavier Worthy

Speaking of Worthy, the rookie wideout keeps on impressing. He's making a greater impact on "money" downs and threatening different areas of the field. A third-and-7 conversion in the first half and plays of 15 and 21 yards on the opening drive of the second half, specifically, stood out. The first-round pick set season-highs with eight receptions and 79 yards, doing so on a healthy nine targets. Worthy's final form hasn't been unlocked yet, but this new-and-improved version down the stretch is nice with January on the horizon.

LOSER: The run game

The rushing attack the Chiefs have right now certainly can't be the one many envisioned when Isiah Pacheco made his return to the lineup. Kansas City averaged 3.5 yards per carry on Christmas Day, and that's with Mahomes himself adding a 12-yard scramble. The Pacheco-Kareem Hunt duo combined for a touchdown but had just 38 yards on 15 carries between them. Pacheco is now nursing a rib injury, which could impact his effectiveness if it lingers. Even if not, the champs have some work to do before recapturing their old level of productivity.

WINNERS: George Karlaftis and Mike Danna

The Chiefs' pass rush returned in a major way on Wednesday, getting to Wilson five times and putting pressure on him all afternoon. Karlaftis made multiple good plays, including a sack to force a third-and-18 and a good pressure on the opening drive of the second half. Danna had perhaps his best game of the season, headlined by a pair of sacks and a second-quarter run stop. Kansas City's base duo of defensive ends played playoff-caliber football in Week 17, and that's without defensive tackle Chris Jones in the fold.

LOSER: Figuring out whoever CB2 is

Since Jaylen Watson went down with an ankle injury earlier this season, the Chiefs have spent plenty of time trying to figure out who their second cornerback behind Trent McDuffie is. A recent concussion for Chamarri Conner threw another fork in the club's plans, thrusting Christian Roland-Wallace into the lineup more often. Week 17 didn't necessarily answer any questions, as Joshua Williams was inconsistent in coverage and took a poor pursuit angle on a particular 10-yard rushing gain. Nazeeh Johnson didn't make any plays to inspire confidence, either. Kansas City is running out of time to rotate its defensive backs, which could come back to haunt them come playoff time.

WINNER: Justin Watson

In the post-Houston Texans edition of this article, I shed light on wide receiver Justin Watson struggling to make an impact and failing to come down with a deep ball from Mahomes. He came back with a vengeance on Saturday, redeeming himself on a 49-yard gain and scoring a touchdown on a corner route later in the drive. Watson won multiple times in Week 17 and started to look more like his 2023-24 self on Christmas Day. For as often as he's fallen flat this year, that was a plus.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes Deferring to Andy Reid on Status for Week 18 vs. Broncos