KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have experienced myriad playoff heartbreaks over the years, yet their loss to the New England Patriots on Saturday may have left an entirely different kind of sting.

One that hurts no less.

This wasn’t a blown 28-point lead, like what happened two years ago in Indianapolis. Or failure to force a punt, which happened on another occasion against the Colts.

This was a 27-20 defeat that left the Chiefs wondering what might have been.

What if their star players — wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, pass rushers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, even running back Jamaal Charles — weren’t dealing with injuries?

What if Knile Davis hadn’t had a costly fumble?

What if the Chiefs didn’t squander precious seconds at the goal line trying to score their final touchdown, ruining their opportunity to get the ball back?

“No doubt it was successful,” wide receiver Albert Wilson said of the season, “but we did have one goal, which was to get to the Super Bowl, and we came up a little short.”

Consider in order the frustrations of the Chiefs’ first defeat in a dozen games.

Maclin hurt his ankle in their playoff win in Houston and did not practice all week. And while he was able to play sparingly Saturday, the speed and quickness that made him such a dangerous target for Alex Smith this season were missing, and he was rendered nearly useless against New England.

The same could be said of Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, both of whom dealt with ailing knees late in the season. Houston came back from a hyperextended knee to play against the Texans, but he was still experiencing pain and a shadow of himself against the Patriots.

Charles has been out most of the season, and the Chiefs got by with Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware. But both of them were also hobbled in the postseason, hampering Kansas City’s ground game.

“It’s tough,” Smith said of the injuries, which also included several offensive linemen. “But this time of year, every team’s got them. Every team is dealing with it.”

With the trio of Charles, West and Ware hobbled by injuries, that forced Davis into action at running back. With a history of fumble troubles, few were surprised when he coughed one up.

Then there was the time management at the end of the game.

Often criticized during his Philadelphia tenure for his time management, Reid was again left to defend his use of the clock during a wrap-up news conference at the practice facility Sunday.

The Chiefs, trailing 27-13, declined to use any of their timeouts during a 16-play drive that took more than 5 minutes off the clock. Then, with first-and-goal and 2:33 left, the Chiefs allowed 25 seconds to expire before the two-minute warning, and several more seconds to lapse before scoring.

That left them with 1:13 to go, essentially forcing Kansas City to try an onside kick. New England tight end Rob Gronkowski recovered it, wrapping up the outcome.

“We work those situations all the time, so we wanted to maintain our timeouts the best we could,” Reid said. “It wasn’t a perfect world. It didn’t quite work out how we wanted.”

When asked why the Chiefs huddled in those closing minutes, allowing more time to waste away, Reid replied: “It’s easy to say, ‘Why not have another play called?’ We had another play, absolutely. But you want to give it your best shot, your best plays in there.”

Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. The injuries and miscues and time management problems proved to be too much to overcome, leaving Kansas City with another bitter ending to a memorable season.

After their sluggish start, the Chiefs set a franchise record for consecutive wins. They ended a 22-year streak without a playoff victory. They set all kinds of personal records and gave a fanbase that had grown tired of mediocrity a glimpse of what success might be like.

“It’s always bittersweet if you’re not winning the Super Bowl,” Reid said. “Every year is different. I got it. And I’ll be the first to tell you that every team is different. But you build foundations. That’s where you start.”

— Associated Press —

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kansas City offensive coordinator Doug Pederson has accepted the Philadelphia Eagles’ offer to become their coach, a person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the Eagles have not officially announced the hiring. Pederson can’t be officially hired as long as the Chiefs are in the playoffs. Kansas City plays at New England on Saturday.

Pederson started nine games at quarterback for the Eagles in 1999 and began his NFL coaching career as an assistant under Andy Reid in Philadelphia in 2009. Pederson followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013.

Philadelphia also interviewed Adam Gase, who was hired by Miami; Ben McAdoo, who was hired by the New York Giants; Tom Coughlin; and two of the Eagles’ assistant coaches during the 2015 season under Chip Kelly: Pat Shurmur and Duce Staley.

Kelly was fired after the 15th game of this season, when the Eagles were 6-9. They went 10-6 in each of his first two seasons in charge, making the playoffs in 2013.

Kelly was hired as San Francisco 49ers coach earlier Thursday.

Pederson, 47, was the fifth candidate to interview for the Eagles job. He met with the team in Kansas City last Sunday morning after the Chiefs beat Houston 30-0 to advance to the second round.

Pederson played 10 NFL seasons almost exclusively as a backup quarterback. He was with Miami, Green Bay, Philadelphia and Cleveland. He made nine starts for Philly in 1999, going 2-7. The following year with Cleveland, he went 1-7 as a starter.

Those were his only NFL starts.

He has been credited with helping Alex Smith’s steady improvement in Kansas City.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs cobbled together an 11-game win streak that included their first playoff triumph in 22 years by using backups, third-stringers and a whole lot of scotch tape.

To keep it going, they may have to be resourceful again.

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin had an MRI on Sunday that showed his right ACL was intact, but revealed a sprained ankle sustained in the Chiefs’ 30-0 romp in Houston.

While the severity of the ankle injury was unknown, it is unlikely Maclin will be available for Sunday’s divisional game in New England.

“I hate to jump conclusions, or jump ahead. Let me just gather the information,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Right now I’m telling you most of his pain is in his ankle, more than his knee.”

The Chiefs initially feared that Maclin had hurt his knee ligament, which he’s twice had surgically repaired. That it was an ankle injury provides some hope he’ll play again in the playoffs.

Maclin missed a game against Pittsburgh earlier this season with a concussion, and rookie Chris Conley had six receptions in his place. Conley also replaced him for the remainder of the Houston game, and caught a touchdown pass on a play that was designed with Maclin in mind.

Conley had six receptions in that Steelers game, which started the Chiefs’ 11-game win streak.

“I was proud of him for stepping in,” said Reid, who believes Conley is better equipped to take over the job now than he was in Week 7. “I think we’re OK there.”

Perhaps they are OK. But without Maclin, they would lose by far their top downfield threat.

The veteran had 87 receptions for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns this season, while Conley managed just 17 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.

Maclin’s absence would also deprive Alex Smith of his biggest safety blanket. Whenever things go awry, the Chiefs quarterback has a tendency to look in Maclin’s direction.

“It’s not just down to his physical talents. He rubs off on everybody,” Smith said, “the competitor he is, what he brings on game day, that energy. Everybody kind of feeds off that. We’ll find out what it is, but certainly playing without him is tough. He brings a lot.”

Yet playing without key players has become one of the hallmarks of this team.

They lost electrifying running back Jamaal Charles to a season-ending knee injury in Week 5, and journeymen Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware filled in admirably.

When pass rushers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali went down, Dee Ford and Frank Zombo kept things together in their absence. Ditto for injuries to nickel back Philip Gaines and a litany of offensive linemen that have gone done.

Among them have been center Mitch Morse, who missed Saturday’s game with a concussion, and right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who sustained a concussion during the game.

“You hope you have depth there. That’s why I keep coming back to the job (general manager) John Dorsey has done,” Reid said. “There are going to be injuries, and so guys have got to step up.”

Reid pointed to Conley’s touchdown reception as a perfect example. The play itself was new, and only Maclin had practiced it.

But when he got hurt, Reid called the play for Conley anyway, and Smith hit the rookie wide receiver with a strike between a couple of defenders.

“He stepped in and did a nice job basically from watching,” Reid said.

That may be the only silver lining to Maclin’s injury. If he’s unable to play in New England, at least Conley will have an entire week of practice time to prepare.

“We all kind of have to pick it up,” Smith said. “With a guy like that, when he’s not playing, when he’s missing, we’ve all got to pick up the slack. I don’t think it’s any one person.”

— Associated Press —

HOUSTON (AP) — After 22 years without a playoff victory, the Kansas City Chiefs were determined not to give up the lead this time.

The Chiefs had enough points to win after jumping ahead 7-0 in the first 11 seconds, and they used relentless pressure, five turnovers and a ball-control offense to dominate the Houston Texans 30-0 in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday.

They were especially cognizant of not letting up after blowing a 28-point lead in a loss to the Colts in their last playoff appearance in 2013.

“What happened to us a couple years ago, everybody remembers that even the coaches included, so our entire mentality is about finishing,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “The mentality doesn’t change.”

They finished off the Texans early, and they had the hometown fans booing by the second quarter. Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer had the worst game of his career with four interceptions and a fumble. Houston’s defense kept the Texans close in the first half, but J.J. Watt left with an injury in the third quarter, Jadeveon Clowney never even put on his jersey and the Chiefs were able to close the game out in the second half.

The Chiefs extended their NFL-best winning streak to 11 games and will face Denver or New England next week.

“We wanted to come in and dominate,” Chiefs safety Eric Berry said. “Right now we are locked in and ready for next week.

On the opening kickoff, Knile Davis got three good blocks around the 10-yard line and then simply outran the rest of the defenders for the 106-yard kickoff return score, the second-longest kickoff return TD in postseason history.

“It was a huge deal, man. It set the tempo,” Davis said. “It quieted everybody, kind of made everybody relax.”

The defense took over after that, forcing Hoyer into a fumble and a three of his career-high four interceptions before halftime to help the Chiefs (12-5) take a 13-0 lead.

“I made some bad decisions that really hurt the team,” Hoyer said.

Houston coach Bill O’Brien said he never considered benching Hoyer, but backup Brandon Weeden told a different story, saying he was warming up late in the game.

“We had talked about me going in there with Brian,” Weeden said. “Brian wanted to finish the thing out. I don’t blame him.”

Smith threw a touchdown pass late in the third and Spencer Ware added a 5-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 27-0.

Travis Kelce, who also had more than 100 yards receiving in the first meeting with the Texans this year, had another big day, finishing with eight receptions for 128 yards.

The victory breaks a streak of eight straight playoff losses by the Chiefs and is their first postseason win since beating the Oilers in Houston on Jan. 16, 1994. That team was led by Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.

“Was it 1994? I didn’t feel it, but I know how important it is, too,” coach Andy Reid said. “You get to the playoffs, and first round, if things don’t go well, that rips your heart out.”

Hoyer was 15 of 34 for 136 yards as Houston (9-8) lost a home playoff game for the first time. Hoyer’s performance cast more doubt on his future as the starter.

Watt missed most of the second half after injuring his groin in the third quarter. Last year’s Defensive Player of the Year and the NFL sack leader didn’t have a sack as Houston’s defense played well but couldn’t hold off an offense that got so many extra chances because of turnovers.

Watt returned a few plays after he was initially hurt, but soon left the game again when he was pushed to the ground by the head by tackle Eric Fisher.

“That’s just a dirty play,” Watt said. “But the injury was before that moment.”

Fisher said he didn’t know the play was over. Kansas City receiver Jeremy Maclin strained his right knee on the same play and didn’t return.

The Chiefs capped that drive when Smith found rookie Chris Conley in the back of the end zone for 9-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 20-0.

Houston defensive end Jared Crick got a personal foul late in the third quarter when he hit Fisher after a play, in an apparent retaliation for the Watt hit.

Down 7-0, the Texans were driving when Hoyer was sacked by Allen Bailey and fumbled. Dontari Poe recovered it at the Kansas City 42 and the Chiefs extended their lead to 10-0 on a 49-yard field goal.

Trailing 13-0, a 49-yard run by Alfred Blue got Houston to the Kansas City 13. The Texans got a first down at the 2 and Watt and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork came in on offense, with Watt lined up as the wildcat quarterback and Wilfork blocking. Watt took the direct snap but had nowhere to go and lost a yard on his first career carry. Hoyer was intercepted on the next play by Josh Mauga.

Hoyer had also struggled against the Chiefs in the season opener, being benched in the fourth quarter of a 27-20 loss.

Game notes
Clowney, the top overall pick in the 2014 draft, was inactive with a foot injury. … Maclin will have an MRI on Sunday. … Kansas City right tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif suffered a concussion in the first half.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith looked down at his phone in the middle of the Chiefs locker room, moments after leading his team to its franchise-record 10th straight victory.

“Just checking messages,” he said with a grin.

Not checking scores.

Turns out, Smith already knew that Denver had knocked off San Diego to deny Kansas City the AFC West title.

But with their 23-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, the Chiefs managed to keep their unprecedented roll going into their playoff opener in Houston next weekend.

“This week it would have been easy, clinch last week on that emotional high, to have a lull,” said Smith, who threw two TD passes against the Raiders. “We still came out and played good football.”

Even without running back Jamaal Charles, out for the season with a knee injury, and linebacker Justin Houston, still sidelined by an injured knee.

The Chiefs (11-5) have managed to win 10 straight on the heels of a five-game losing streak that at one point put their season on the brink.

The Raiders (7-9) accounted for two of those victories.

“We believe in each other. That’s what happens when a team and a family come together,” Chiefs running back Charcandrick West said. “This is a super rare team. We have something special going on here.”

In perhaps their final game in Oakland, the Raiders only mustered a field goal on offense until the final minutes, when Carr connected with Michael Crabtree from 31 yards.

They did get the ball back with 1:34 left, but Carr took one final sack that helped time expire.

Carr finished with 194 yards passing, leaving him 13 yards short of 4,000 for the season. Latavius Murray, the AFC’s rushing leader coming in, carried 11 times for just 31 yards, while David Amerson had a pick-six late in the first half for their only other touchdown.

“We sputtered,” said Carr, who hurt his right hand during the game. “Sometimes when we needed it the most, we looked like ourselves. But other times we just looked sloppy.”

The Chiefs started crisply for the third straight game, driving 80 yards for a score on their opening possession. Jeremy Maclin capped it with a 25-yard touchdown reception.

After forcing a punt, the Chiefs cobbled together a creative 12-play, 87-yard drive that included a jet sweep by Maclin for a first down. Spencer Ware’s short touchdown run made it 14-0.

“We started the game great,” Smith said. “We were rolling.”

It was still 14-3 when Smith threw interceptions on consecutive passes, though neither of them was to Charles Woodson — the veteran safety playing the final game of his sterling 18-year career.

The first was picked by TJ Carrie late in the second quarter. Then, after Carr was picked off in the end zone by the Chiefs’ Ron Parker a few minutes later, Smith tossed another pass that was caught by Amerson and returned 24 yards for a touchdown that got Oakland within 14-10.

Smith had only thrown five interceptions all season, at one point going 312 passes without one.

“It’s funny how that happens,” he said, “back to back.”

The Raiders’ offense fared no better, though. On their first chance of the second half, Carr was sacked twice and Marquette King had his punt blocked through the end zone for a safety.

Kansas City got the ball back on the free kick and got back in synch on offense. Smith hit Maclin for a long gain on third down, and then hit Demetrius Harris in the end zone. It was the seventh catch of the season for Harris, and the first of the former college basketball player’s career.

The Raiders got within 23-17 on Crabtree’s touchdown, but their comeback ran out of time.

“I would have liked to walk off the field with a win,” said Woodson, who began his career with Oakland in the same stadium on Sept. 6, 1998. “There’s nothing like going out there between the lines every Sunday afternoon or whatever day you play. I had such a great time doing it.”

Game notes
Maclin briefly left the game with a bruised hip. He returned to finish. … Chiefs C Mitch Morse was being evaluated for a concussion and did not return. … Woodson finished with 65 picks, tied for fifth in NFL history. … The Chiefs had 189 yards rushing. The Raiders had 48.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The atmosphere inside the Kansas City Chiefs locker room wasn’t a whole lot different Sunday than in any of their other victories during a franchise record-tying nine-game win streak.

There were high-fives and congratulations, of course. But mostly a business-like attitude.

It was hard to believe the Chiefs had just qualified for the playoffs.

“We still have one more week left and there’s still a lot to play for,” said quarterback Alex Smith, who threw two touchdown passes in a down-to-the-wire, 17-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

When Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore moments later, the Chiefs clinched at least a wild-card spot.

They can still win the AFC West and host a playoff game if they beat Oakland next week and the Broncos lose to Cincinnati on Monday night or in their regular-season finale against San Diego.

Hard to believe when they were 1-5.

“We didn’t panic, that’s the most important part,” Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “You can’t get too far in the hole, and we got as far as you can get to still make the postseason.”

The Chiefs (10-5) jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead Sunday, and looked as if they were cruising to an easy win. But their offense became listless over the final two quarters, just as Johnny Manziel was pumping some life into the downtrodden Browns (3-12).

The former Heisman Trophy winner led Cleveland to 10 straight points, then had them in possession for a go-ahead touchdown before his incomplete pass to the end zone on fourth down with 2:55 left.

Kansas City had a chance to put the game away, but failed to pick up a first down, and Cleveland took over at its 30 with 1:52 left and no timeouts. The Browns picked up three first downs, and Manziel hit Darius Jennings on fourth-and-10 from the 32 with time ticking away.

It ran out before Manziel could get off another snap, and he spiked his helmet in frustration.

“I’m definitely shouldering a lot for this loss,” he said. “Regardless of what our record is, where we are in the season, it (sticks) not to win, especially when our coach and the other 10 guys put us in a position to try to get us in the end zone there at the end. I just felt like I didn’t do the right thing in crunch time. I think that’s the moral of the entire story of the game.”

Manziel threw for 136 yards with an interception, but he also ran for 108 yards to give his team a chance. Isaiah Crowell added 88 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Browns.

“I talked earlier this week about planting seeds and moving forward,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said. “I think that second half was an indication. It’s one of those, you look at the scoreboard, you lost. But in some sense you just feel like you ran out of time.”

The Chiefs looked as if they’d make this one easy in the first half, driving downfield for a TD on their opening drive. Smith zipped a pass to Jeremy Maclin between three defenders for a score.

Kansas City added a field goal moments later for a 10-0 lead.

Travis Coons kicked the first of his two field goals for Cleveland, and an interception of Smith gave the Browns life. But two plays later, Manziel was picked by Marcus Peters, and the rookie returned his eighth of the season deep into Cleveland territory. Smith then connected with Travis Kelce with 32 seconds left to help the Chiefs take a 17-3 lead into the break.

Then the Chiefs got stagnant. And the Browns made things interesting.

His scrambling ability was critical to a nine-play, 82-yard drive to begin the second half, and Crowell finished it by racing 10 yards for a touchdown.

Then, after forcing a quick punt, Cleveland put together a grinding 21-play drive that took up more than 12 minutes despite going only 62 yards. Three times, Manziel picked up a first down by scrambling on third or fourth down, though his intentional grounding penalty helped force a field goal.

The Browns had twice more advanced deep into Kansas City territory. The final time came in the game’s final seconds, when he couldn’t get the ball spiked in time.

“Johnny is one of those quarterbacks you can never get comfortable with him, Johnson said. “For a defensive guy he’s a headache. But at the end of the day, time ran out on him.”

Game notes
Maclin became the fourth wide receiver under Andy Reid to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving. He has 1,034. … Browns RB Raheem Mostert (ankle) and WR Marlon Moore (concussion) left in the second quarter and did not return. … Smith threw for 125 yards, giving him a career-best 3,330 this season. … The Chiefs only had 258 yards total offense.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Football League announced on Tuesday that five members of the Kansas City Chiefs have been selected to participate in the 2016 NFL Pro Bowl. The below players have earned a spot on the NFL’s Pro Bowl roster:

Eric Berry (Safety) – 4th Nomination

Tamba Hali (Linebacker) – 5th Nomination

Justin Houston (Linebacker) – 4th Nomination

Travis Kelce (Tight End) – 1st Nomination

Marcus Peters (Cornerback) – 1st Nomination

The 2016 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 31, and televised live on ESPN at 6 p.m. CT from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. This year’s all-star game features the new format adopted in 2014. Players were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Players will be assigned to teams during the 2016 Pro Bowl Draft on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

Berry (6-0, 212) has played in all 14 contests for the club in 2015, making 13 starts in his return to the field after battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014. He has recorded 58 tackles (52 solo), two interceptions returned for 40 yards and eight passes defensed. In 68 career games (66 starts) he owns 381 tackles (305 solo), 5.5 sacks (-37.5 yards), 10 interceptions returned for 276 yards with three touchdown returns, 41 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 14 QB pressures.

This marks Berry’s fourth Pro Bowl selection in six years after being recognized with the honor following the 2010, 2012 and 2013 seasons – earning the honor every year that he didn’t finish the season on either injured reserve or the non-football illness list. His four Pro Bowl selections rank tied for second in team history for most appearances by a defensive back while he trails only Deron Cherry’s team record of six Pro Bowls by a Chiefs safety. The Fairburn, Ga., native originally joined the Chiefs as Kansas City’s first pick (fifth overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is currently Kansas City’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, given annually to recognize one NFL player for his excellence on and off the field.

Hali (6-3, 275) has started all 14 games at linebacker in 2015, tallying 48 tackles (39 solo), including 11 for loss, 6.5 sacks (-53.0 yards), 18 quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles in his 10th season with the Chiefs. Hali has earned five consecutive Pro Bowl selections.

Hali has missed only two games since joining the club, starting 155 regular season contests (105 games at outside linebacker and 50 contests at defensive end). He’s recorded 33 career forced fumbles, which ranks second in team history and has collected 86.0 sacks to rank third in team history. A native of Monrovia, Liberia, Hali was selected 20th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by Kansas City after starring collegiately at Penn State.

Houston (6-3, 258) has started 11 games at outside linebacker and once again leads the Chiefs in sacks, with 7.5, through Week 15. One of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, he also has two interceptions on the season, including a 17-yard INT return touchdown in Week 11 at San Diego. Houston moved up the Chiefs record books early in the season, his 56.0 sacks are the fifth-most in franchise history. Since coming into the league in 2011, Houston’s 56.0 sacks rank as the third-most in the NFL during that time span. Houston has 30 tackles on the season (25 solo), nine tackles for loss, six passes defensed and is second on the team with 13 quarterback pressures. This season will be Houston’s fourth earned trip to the NFL’s all-star game.

A Statesboro, Ga., native, Houston has played in 70 games (64 starts) since being drafted in the third round (70th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chiefs. He has 279 tackles (242 solo), 56.0 sacks (-324.5 yards), three interceptions for 48 yards, 25 passes defensed, four fumble recoveries, eight forced fumbles and 80 QB pressures. He played collegiately at Georgia.

Kelce (6-5, 260) has started at tight end in all 14 games in his third NFL season with the Chiefs, posting 65 receptions for 822 yards, including four touchdowns. His 822 receiving yards (12.6 avg.) rank fifth in the NFL among tight ends in the 2015 season. From 2014-15, Kelce ranks among the top four in the NFL in yardage (1,684) and has the number one ranking in yards after catch for tight ends (1,026). This marks Kelce’s first selection into the NFL’s all-star game.

After spending the majority of his rookie season in 2013 on injured reserve, Kelce led the Chiefs in receptions and receiving yards in 2014 with 67 catches for 862 yards. His career numbers include 132 receptions for 1,684 yards (12.8 avg.) with nine touchdowns. 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 all 14 games for the Chiefs in 2015. In his rookie campaign, Peters leads the team with seven interceptions and 234 return yards, returning two INTs for touchdowns (vs. DEN 11/17 & at BAL 12/20). He has 58 total tackles (51 solo), one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and 23 passes defensed. Peters ranks in the top-three in the NFL in three important defensive categories including interceptions (2nd), interception yards (1st) and passes defensed (2nd). Peters’ 23 passes defensed is a Chiefs rookie record and his seven interceptions are tied for second all-time among Chiefs rookies.

The Oakland, Calif., 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. Peters is the first rookie to earn Pro Bowl honors since safety Eric Berry did so following the 2010 season.

— Chiefs Press Release —