The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. The game will kickoff at 12:05 p.m. inside Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday.

Pittsburgh beat the Miami Dolphins 30-12 in the Wild Card Round Sunday to advance to face Kansas City.  The game will be a rematch from week four when the Steelers defeated the Chiefs 43-14 in Pittsburgh.

This will be the first time since the 2003 season the Chiefs host a divisional playoff game.

Last year Kansas City won its first playoff game since 1993 as they defeated the Texans in Houston in the AFC Wild Card round.  The last home win for Kansas City in the playoffs came in the 1993 AFC Wild Card round as the Chiefs beat the Steelers 27-20 in overtime.

The game Sunday will air live on 680 KFEQ AM and Q Country 92.7 FM.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Alex Smith, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs have goals far bigger than simply winning the AFC West.

The Chiefs finished off their domination of the division when they beat the last-place Chargers 37-27 Sunday in possibly the final NFL game in San Diego.

“Right now it’s awesome that we won it and we’re happy that we achieved that goal, but everything is kind of moving forward and we’ve got our eyes set on the biggest prize yet, and that’s getting a Super Bowl win,” said Kelce, the star tight end. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we can go get that thing.”

The Chiefs haven’t been to the Super Bowl since beating Minnesota following the 1969 season.

San Diego fired coach Mike McCoy after the game.

Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another for the Chiefs (12-4), who clinched the division with the win and Oakland’s loss at Denver.

Smith, who went to nearby Helix High in La Mesa, scored on a 5-yard scramble early in the second quarter to tie the game at 10. He threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide-open Charcandrick West later in the quarter to put the Chiefs ahead for good. That followed the first of two interceptions of Philip Rivers that led to 10 points for the Chiefs.

“For us it was such a big swing, to go from potentially playing a road game in the wild card to a bye and hosting a game,” Smith said. “There was no in-between there. We took care of our end and got some help from Denver, so it was pretty sweet.

“We saw the score there at the end, and we had our deal sealed up. Pretty awesome, and to win the division is special as well, that’s something that this group hasn’t done.

“It’s crazy to sweep the division,” he said of going 6-0.

Smith was intercepted once, on a deflected pass that Jahleel Addae returned 90 yards for a touchdown to pull the Chargers (5-11) to 20-17 in the third quarter. Smith came right back and threw a 2-yard scoring pass to West, who again was wide open.

Rookie Tyreek Hill showed some fancy footwork in returning a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter.

MCCOY FIRED

McCoy was 27-37 in four seasons, with the Chargers having lost 23 of their last 32 games. They’ve also lost 13 of their last 14 AFC West games dating to late in the 2014 season. He had one year left on his contract.

THE LA OPTION

For the second straight year, the Chargers were playing perhaps their final game in San Diego.

Last year, Chairman Dean Spanos was in the process of trying to move the team to Carson to share a stadium with the rival Raiders. That plan was defeated by fellow NFL owners in January, but Spanos was given the option to move to LA if he couldn’t come up with a way to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium. A Nov. 8 ballot measure asking for $1 billion in increased hotel occupancy taxes to help fund a new downtown stadium was overwhelmingly voted down.

Spanos has until Jan. 15 to announce whether he’ll move the team

The Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time” played on the PA during a break in the action after a Chiefs field goal made it 37-20 late in the game.

Smith, for one, hopes that doesn’t happen. He grew up in the San Diego area and played at Qualcomm Stadium in high school championship games and in college when Utah visited San Diego State.

“For me growing up here, I think it’d be tragic if there wasn’t a team here. If there wasn’t football in this town, it would be weird for me.”

GATESY

Chargers tight end Antonio Gates tied Tony Gonzalez for the most touchdown catches in NFL history by a tight end with 111.

Gates tied the mark on a 2-yard toss from Rivers early in the second quarter to give the Chargers a 10-3 lead. Gates caught the ball and extended it in his right hand to break the plane.

The Chargers tried to get Gates sole possession of the record in the fourth quarter but couldn’t.

“They were not going to let him get that touchdown,” Rivers said. “I was looking at him every other time, too. We did the best we could.”

Late in the game, Rivers threw a 12-yard TD pass to San Diego’s other tight end, wide-open rookie Hunter Henry.

RIVERS PICKOFFS

Rivers was intercepted twice to set a career high with 21. Rivers’ previous high was 20 in 2011.

“We gave ourselves a chance. We turned it over twice. which killed us,” Rivers said.

INJURIES: Chiefs S Eric Berry left with an ankle injury in the second half. Chargers S Darrell Stuckey left with a knee injury, LB Christopher Landrum suffered a concussion and G Orlando Franklin had a shoulder injury.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With their postseason spot secured, the Kansas City Chiefs turned to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to roll past the Denver Broncos 33-10 on Sunday night and keep their AFC West title hopes alive.

Kelce had 11 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Hill took a handoff 70 yards for another score, as the Chiefs (11-4) beat the Broncos (8-7) for the third straight time and eliminated the Super Bowl champions from postseason contention.

Kansas City punctuated the win in style when 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe, lined up at quarterback, threw a jump pass to Demetrius Harris with just under two minutes left.

The Chiefs were already assured of a wild card when Pittsburgh beat Baltimore earlier in the day. But a win next weekend in San Diego coupled with an Oakland loss in Denver would give the Chiefs their first division title since 2010, not to mention a first-round bye and home playoff game.

Meanwhile, the Broncos trudged through another inept offensive performance.

Trevor Siemian was 17 of 43 for 183 yards and a game-ending interception, and the only TD drive he led came after a pick gave him the ball at the Kansas City 6. Justin Forsett scored two plays later.

The lackluster performance came one week after a dismal showing in a 16-3 loss to New England led to a locker room shouting match between the Denver offense and defense. The Broncos downplayed any kind of disharmony this week , but their performance on a sloppy, soggy Christmas night at Arrowhead Stadium only seemed to underscore the rift during a most frustrating of seasons.

Kansas City took control of the prime-time matchup from the opening bell.

Alex Smith capped a 77-yard touchdown march with a 10-yard keeper in the first quarter, and Hill out-ran the banged-up Broncos a few minutes later to give the Chiefs a 14-0 lead.

It was the fourth TD scored by Hill against the Broncos this season.

Forsett’s touchdown gave the Broncos fleeting hope, but it was dashed moments later. Kelce took a screen pass and followed perfectly executed blocking for an 80-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

The Chiefs’ defense took care of the rest to make it a festive night for their fans.

CLOSING SPEED

The biggest hit of the night came when a security guard tackled a fan that had run onto the field. Of course, it came after the fan already had run untouched about 90 yards, so in that respect the security force wasn’t a whole lot better than the Broncos’ first-half defense.

SCARY MOMENT

Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster was taken from the field on a cart after getting hit high by Chiefs linebacker Terrance Smith while covering a touchback in the second quarter. Webster’s head was snapped back by the block and he was being evaluated for a concussion. He did not return.

OTHER INJURIES

Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe left in the first half with a neck injury and did not return. Denver was already without leading tackler T.J. Ward and tight ends Virgil Green and A.J. Derby because of concussions and linebacker Brandon Marshall because of a hamstring.

UP NEXT

Denver wraps up its disappointing season Sunday against Oakland.

Kansas City visits the Chargers on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Football League announced on Tuesday that four members of the Kansas City Chiefs have been selected to participate in the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl. The below players have earned a spot on the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster:

Eric Berry (Safety) – 5th Nomination

Travis Kelce (Tight End) – 2nd Nomination

Marcus Peters (Cornerback) – 2nd Nomination

Tyreek Hill (Returner) – 1st Nomination

The 2017 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, and televised live on ESPN. This year’s game will feature a return to the traditional AFC vs. NFC game format following three years using a revised, “unconferenced” format. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams.

Berry (6-0, 212) has started all 14 games for the Chiefs this season, recording 73 tackles (58 solo), including two tackles for loss. He has three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, eight passes defensed and one forced fumble. In Week 13 against Atlanta, Berry scored two points for the Chiefs on an intercepted two-point attempt by the Falcons. He’s played in 84 games with the Chiefs (82 starts) in seven NFL seasons, tallying 457 tackles (366 solo), 28 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He has 13 career interceptions, five touchdown returns, 54 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

This marks Berry’s fifth Pro Bowl selection in seven years after being recognized with the honor following the 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 seasons – earning the honor every year that he didn’t finish the season on either injured reserve or the non-football illness list. The Fairburn, Georgia, native originally joined the Chiefs as Kansas City’s first pick (fifth overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Kelce (6-5, 260) has started at tight end in all 14 games this season, tallying 73 catches for 957 yards (13.1 avg.) with three touchdowns. In Weeks 11-14, Kelce recorded four consecutive 100+ yard receiving days, including a career-high 140 yards against Atlanta in Week 13. His career numbers include 212 receptions for 2,694 yards (12.7 avg.) with 13 touchdowns. Kelce has recorded a catch in 46 consecutive games, tying for the fifth-best streak in franchise history.

This marks Kelce’s second consecutive selection into the NFL’s all-star game. A native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Kelce was selected by Kansas City in the third round (63rd overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Peters (6-0, 197) has started 13 games for the Chiefs in 2016, recording 41 tackles (32 solo), five interceptions, 17 passes defensed, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. His five interceptions currently rank second in the NFL. He has played in 29 career games (29 starts) with the club in two NFL seasons, tallying 101 tackles (85 solo), 13 interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, 43 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

The Oakland, California, native, played collegiately at Washington. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick (18th overall) of the Chiefs in the 2015 NFL Draft. This is Peters’ second-straight Pro Bowl invitation after being invited after his rookie season in 2015. Peters was the first rookie to earn Pro Bowl honors since safety Eric Berry did so following the 2010 season.

Hill (5-10, 185) has played in all 14 games (one start) this season, recording 34 punt returns for an NFL-high 476 yards (14.0 avg.) with one touchdown. He has 13 kickoff returns for 367 yards (28.2 avg.) with one touchdown. Offensively, Hill has added 56 catches for 547 yards (9.8 avg.) with six touchdowns and 15 rushes for 157 yards (10.5 avg.) and two touchdowns. He is the second Chiefs rookie in the last two years to qualify for the NFL’s all-star game (Peters in 2015). Hill won AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his Week 12 performance at Denver and AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his effort in Week 14 against Oakland.

The Pearson, Georgia, native, played collegiately at West Alabama. He originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick (165th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft.

— Chiefs Press Release —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ryan Succop kicked a 53-yard field goal into the wind as time expired Sunday to give the Tennessee Titans a 19-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on a frigid afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.

Succop, who spent the first part of his career with Kansas City, came up short on his first try at the winner, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid had called a timeout just before the snap. Given a second chance, Succop knocked it through with a couple feet to spare as the Titans poured off the bench to celebrate.

The Titans’ rallied from a 17-7 hole, and Derrick Henry’s second touchdown got Tennessee (8-6) within 17-16 with just over three minutes left. But Titans coach Mike Mularkey went for the 2-point conversion and the lead. Marcus Mariota was pressured immediately and his pass never reached the end zone.

But the Chiefs (10-4), trying to clinch a playoff spot, were unable to pick up enough first downs to run out the clock and Tennessee got the ball back with a minute left. With no timeouts, Mariota calmly found Rishard Matthews for 19 yards and Delanie Walker twice to set up Succop’s field-goal attempt.

The dramatic late-game turn came after Tennessee squandered plenty of chances early in the game.

Matthews fumbled within sight of the goal line in the first half, ending the Titans’ streak of four straight games without a turnover. And Mariota, a Hawaii native, had plenty of trouble dealing with the cold weather, fumbling the ball away and throwing an interception to Ron Parker .

It was 1 degree at kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium, with a wind chill of minus-19, making it the coldest game in Kansas City since the franchise began keeping records in 1994.

Still, the Chiefs got off to a hot start in the cold weather when Tyreek Hill faked like he was running an option play and took an inside handoff instead, running untouched 68 yards for a first-quarter touchdown.

It was the sixth touchdown for the dynamic rookie in the last four weeks.

Smith added his touchdown later in the half, and Cairo Santos knocked through a field goal, but the Chiefs blew a couple of opportunities. They were repelled twice at the 1-yard line and came away without any points, and Smith threw an interception in the end zone early in the second half.

Succop hit from 39 yards early in the fourth quarter make it a one-possession game, and the Titans promptly got the ball back and marched the other way, twice converting on third down and once on fourth to set up Henry’s 1-yard TD plunge. The 2-point conversion attempt was a disaster, but it wound up being moot.

The Titans’ defense and Succop’s strong right leg made sure of it.

WEATHER WOES

The record for coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium had been 9 degrees before Sunday. It was so cold that the fuses in the west scoreboard freeze, blanking out a large section of it for much of the game.

INJURY UPDATE

The Titans lost safety Da’Norris Searcy to a concussion and cornerback Jason McCourty to a chest injury in the first half. Defensive tackle Karl Klug left with an ankle injury in the second half.

UP NEXT

Chiefs play Denver on Christmas night.

Titans visit Jacksonville on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyreek Hill had touchdowns receiving and on a punt return, Kansas City’s defense made life miserable for Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, and the Chiefs beat the Raiders 21-13 on a frigid Thursday night to take control of the AFC West.

Charcandrick West also had a touchdown run for the Chiefs (10-3). They moved into a first-place tie with Oakland (10-3) but holds the tiebreaker with two wins over their longtime divisional rival.

Carr was 17 of 41 for 117 yards passing, though the ugly stat line wasn’t entirely his fault.

Seth Roberts dropped just about everything thrown at him, Amari Cooper couldn’t adjust to a long throw for a would-be touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and several more passes were dropped to the rock-hard turf of Arrowhead Stadium on a night when wind chills approached single digits.

Alex Smith threw for 261 yards with a touchdown and an interception to help the Chiefs, returning home after back-to-back road wins, beat Oakland for the seventh time in their last eight meetings.

Hill didn’t seem bothered by the cold, scorching the Raiders for a 36-yard TD reception before bringing a punt back 78 yards for another score. It made him the first rookie since Gale Sayers in 1965 with touchdowns on the ground, through the air and on punt and kickoff returns in a single season.

It was still 21-3 when the Chiefs lost linebacker Derrick Johnson to an Achilles injury, and that seemed to briefly deflate them. Oakland proceeded to march 92 yards for a touchdown just before halftime.

But the Raiders kept coming up empty with their chances in the second half.

Smith threw a pick on the second play of the third quarter, but Oakland had to settle for a field goal. And when Smith was strip-sacked by Khalil Mack on the next play, the Raiders again had to try a field goal — only this time, holder Marquette King couldn’t get the snap down.

The Raiders’ last chance came with about two minutes left, when a questionable pass interference penalty and a fourth-and-4 conversion got them deep into Kansas City territory. But after a false start on fourth-and-1, Carr’s pass toward the end zone was batted incomplete.

The Chiefs went on to pick up the first down they needed to put the game away.

CATCHING KELCE

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had five catches for 101 yards, his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards receiving. That matches the franchise record set by former tight end Tony Gonzalez.

MACK DADDY

Mack had a strip-sack for the third straight game, and a sack in his eighth straight dating to the Raiders’ loss to Kansas City in October. That matches Lance Johnstone for the longest streak in franchise history since sacks became official in 1982.

INJURIES

Johnson went down untouched late in the first half, and it appeared the veteran linebacker knew right away his Achilles was injured. He ruptured his right Achilles two years ago and missed the rest of the season. … Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches left with back spasms and did not return.

Raiders offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele was a late scratch with an illness. Safety Karl Joseph was inactive with a toe injury and defensive tackle Stacy McGee was sidelined by an ankle injury.

UP NEXT

Oakland remains in the AFC West when it heads to slumping San Diego on Dec. 18.

Kansas City continues its three-game homestand Dec. 18 against Tennessee.

— Associated Press —

ATLANTA (AP) — Eric Berry returned an interception for a touchdown, and then brought back another pick for a 2-point conversion that gave the Kansas City Chiefs an improbable 29-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The Falcons, rallying from a 27-16 deficit, went ahead 28-27 on Matt Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson with 4:32 remaining.

Atlanta decided to go for 2, looking to stretch the margin to a field goal. But Berry stepped in front of Ryan’s pass and ran 99 yards the other way to give the Chiefs (9-3) their winning margin. It came after Denver stole a game in similar fashion last month, returning a blocked PAT for the winning points at New Orleans.

Sunday’s outcome meant even more to Berry, who grew up in suburban Atlanta and was playing in the city for the first time as a professional. Also, it’s where he was treated after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma near the end of the 2014 season.

“I shed a few tears before the game, I shed a few tears during the game and I shed a few after,” Berry said. “It was just a lot of emotions. I tried to contain them and let it show through my play.”

Ryan was clearly down after the game, knowing this was one that got away from the Falcons (7-5).

“A poor play on my part,” the quarterback said. “I was expecting combination coverage to the outside. Eric Berry did good job coming down off and going onto the tight end. A disappointing play.”

Berry had another huge play with less than a minute to go in the first half, picking off Ryan’s pass over the middle and bringing it back 37 yards for a touchdown. After reaching the end zone, he handed the ball to his mother sitting in the stands at the Georgia Dome.

“I just handed it to her and told her I’d be back.” Berry quipped.

He fulfilled that promise.

Those weren’t the only backbreaking plays given up by the Falcons. On fourth-and-2 from their own 45, Kansas City faked a punt and snapped the ball directly to Albert Wilson , who played his college ball in the same stadium for Georgia State. Wilson burst up the middle for a 55-yard touchdown that extended Kansas City’s lead in the third quarter.

“I had a sense it would come down to the end, and it did,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “But I reminded the team that it never comes down to one play.”

Alex Smith completed 21 of 25 passes for 270 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown to Spencer Ware. Travis Kelce was Kansas City’s top receiver, hauling in eight passes for 140 yards.

Ryan was 22 of 34 for 297 yards, but his two huge mistakes doomed the Falcons. Julio Jones hauled in seven passes for 113 yards, while Devonta Freeman had a couple of 1-yard touchdown runs.

LONG KICK

Forty-one-year-old Matt Bryant closed out the first half with the second-longest field goal of his career for the Falcons.

Barely across midfield, Bryant booted a 59-yarder that easily clear the crossbar, cutting Kansas City’s lead to 20-16 at the break. The only longer kick for Bryant was a 62-yarder with Tampa Bay in 2006.

He also tied Atlanta’s franchise record for longest field goal. Morten Andersen made a 59-yarder in 1995.

INJURY REPORT

The Falcons lost left tackle Jake Matthews to a left knee injury in the first half.

Trainers put a sleeve over the knee, and Matthews tested it out on the sideline with some runs and cuts. But he headed to the locker room just before halftime and didn’t return. Tom Compton finished out the game protecting Ryan’s blind side.

Kansas City was again missing Jeremy Maclin, its leading receiver. He returned to practice Wednesday and it was thought he’d be able to play after sitting out three straight games with a groin injury. But he didn’t dress against the Falcons.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Return home for a huge Thursday night game against AFC West rival Oakland, the first of three straight games at Arrowhead Stadium before the season finale at San Diego.

Falcons: Travel to Los Angeles next Sunday to take on the Rams.

— Associated Press —

DENVER (AP) — Cairo Santos’ 34-yard field goal hit the left upright and bounced through as the overtime period expired Sunday night to give the Kansas Chiefs a 30-27 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

That avoided the third tie in the NFL this season, something that hasn’t happened since 1973 before the league introduced overtime.

The winner followed a risky move by Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who sent his kicker out for a 62-yard try with 1:01 left only to see Brandon McManus — who has hit from 70 yards in training camp — come up short.

“It’s on me,” Kubiak said, explaining he made the move because he had confidence in his kicker even with a new long snapper who joined the team on Friday. “We didn’t have any doubt that he could get the ball there. The thought process was on the other end: if we do punt, do we get the ball back?”

McManus practically begged to get a crack at the 62-yarder.

“That’s still well within my range. I just kind of hit the ground,” he said. “From that distance, everything kind of needs to be perfect just because of how far you are away. It didn’t happen for me.”

Instead of having to go 80 yards or more, however, the Chiefs got the ball at the Denver 48 with one timeout and just over a minute remaining. The Chiefs reached the Denver 16 before Santos ended the snoozer-turned-thriller in perfect fashion. Even his teammates hesitated as they ran out to celebrate, unsure if the ball had clanked through or not with the stadium rocking as if it hadn’t.

The Chiefs (8-3) kept up with the Oakland Raiders (9-2) in the AFC West race and the Broncos (7-4) could find themselves fighting for a wild card now.

Both teams kicked field goals on their opening possession of overtime, McManus from 44 yards and Santos from 37.

That followed Kansas City’s amazing tying drive in the final 3 minutes of regulation.

Alex Smith threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tyreek Hill and a 2-point conversion pass to tight end Demetrius Harris with 12 seconds left to tie it at 24.

Hill’s third touchdown of the night capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive that included three defensive penalties, a fourth-and-10 conversion at the Broncos 3 and zero Kansas City timeouts.

The Chiefs had burned their last two timeouts just before Trevor Siemian’s 76-yard touchdown toss to Bennie Fowler, who got behind cornerback Phillip Gaines with three minutes left that seemingly sealed Denver’s win.

Siemian threw for 368 yards and three TDs with no interceptions in his best game as a pro. But he was sacked five times as his O-line proved just as porous as it has all season even after team made better protection a priority following at their bye.

The game turned into the white knuckler the NFL expected when it flexed the AFC West showdown to Sunday night rather than having the Patriots-Jets game in prime time as originally scheduled.

But the first half was laborious — Kansas City managed just 49 yards of offense but led 9-3 thanks to a safety and Hill’s 86-yard touchdown return on the ensuing free kick.

Smith finished 26 of 44 for 220 yards with one TD and six sacks, half of them by Von Miller.

INJURY UPDATE Denver RB Kapri Bibbs was evaluated for a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit from S Eric Berry but returned later in the first quarter. Houston left for a few series but returned and the Chiefs never announced what his injury was.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: K.C. continues its brutal road swing with a trip to Atlanta next weekend.

Broncos: After the lone November home game, the Broncos travel to Jacksonville.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jameis Winston sliced up a Kansas City defense missing top cornerback Marcus Peters, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on for a 19-17 victory Sunday that snapped the Chiefs’ five-game winning streak.

Winston threw for 331 yards to help set up four field goals by Roberto Aguayo, and hit tight end Robert Cross for a touchdown with just over 6 minutes left to give the Buccaneers (5-5) a cushion.

The Chiefs (7-3) marched swiftly downfield, and Alex Smith hit Albert Wilson with a short touchdown pass with just over 2 minutes left. But their defense couldn’t stop Mike Evans on third-and-3 just moments later, and the big wide receiver’s sixth reception gave the Buccaneers a first down.

By the time Kansas City finally forced a punt, there was 8 seconds left in the game.

It was the Buccaneers’ fifth straight win over Kansas City dating to 1993, and it snapped a home winning streak for the Chiefs that dated to a loss to Chicago on Oct. 11, 2015.

The Chiefs, who had won 17 of their last 19 regular-season games, were done in by a popgun offense that has repeatedly fizzled in the red zone. They had to settle for a field goal by Cairo Santos on their first trip and Alex Smith threw an interception in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.

Smith was 23 of 30 for 268 yards in another inconsistent performance, while Spencer Ware was bottled up much of the afternoon. The bruising running back finished with just 69 yards rushing.

WINCHESTER PLAYS

Chiefs long snapper James Winchester played one day after the funeral for his father, Michael, who was shot to death at an Oklahoma City airport on Tuesday. Police believe the elder Winchester, an employee for Southwest Airlines, was gunned down in retaliation for losing his own airline job.

HOUSTON RETURNS

Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston made his season debut , though he hardly factored into the game. The four-time Pro Bowl pick has been out after surgery in February to repair the ACL in his left knee.

INJURIES

Buccaneers: Starting cornerback Brent Grimes left in the first half with a quad injury and did not return. Backup offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk left with a knee injury.

Chiefs: Outside linebacker Dee Ford, the NFL sack leader with 10 coming in, did not play in the second half with a hamstring injury. Peters (hip pointer), starting defensive tackle Jaye Howard (knee) and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (groin) were inactive.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Return home next weekend to take on another Super Bowl favorite, Seattle.

Chiefs: Head to Denver for a Sunday night showdown between AFC West contenders.

— Associated Press —