MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes took a 30-yard sack before he got the Kansas City Chiefs going in the right direction.
The Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit and four turnovers Sunday to clinch their fifth consecutive AFC West title by beating Miami 33-27.
Mahomes took the longest sack in the NFL in five years and was picked off three times, his first multi-interception game in more than two years. But he threw for 393 yards and two scores to help the Chiefs (12-1) earn their eighth consecutive victory.
It was the Chiefs’ second consecutive comeback at Hard Rock Stadium, where they won the Super Bowl in February despite Mahomes’ two interceptions.
“We won the Super Bowl here and just clinched the AFC West — it seems every time we leave this stadium we have a hat about something we accomplished,” Mahomes said. “The (bad) part, it seems, is like I have half my interceptions at this stadium.”
With Miami’s loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched a playoff spot.
Tyreek Hill ran through the Dolphins’ secondary and behind it, scoring on a 32-yard run and a 44-yard reception when Mahomes hit him in stride at the goal line.
Travis Kelce had eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, Mecole Hardman scored untouched on a 67-yard punt return, and Kansas City’s defense was stout against Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ injury-riddled offense.
Chris Jones sacked the rookie for a safety for a 30-10 lead, and the Chiefs set a team record with their 10th road win in a row.
Kansas City reached 12 wins for the third consecutive season, the longest streak in club history, and has the best 13-game record in franchise history, good for another division title.
“It’s a great accomplishment, fifth time in a row,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. “One of our goals going back a decade or so was to build a team that could consistently compete for championships, and Andy and his staff have done a great job. There’s a lot still in front of us, but today was a big step.”
The Dolphins (8-5) hurt their playoff prospects by losing for only the second time in the past nine games. Despite Miami’s bounty of takeaways, the Chiefs scored 30 consecutive points.
“This is an explosive team, and they went on a run there,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “It was a quick spurt. That’s how they’re built; they go on runs. They went on one there. We collected ourselves, and I thought our guys did a good job of that. We played with poise and got ourselves back in the game.”
Tagovailoa passed for 316 yards and two scores to Mike Gesicki, but also threw his first career interception, which came on his 154th attempt on a long pass that deflected off receiver Jakeem Grant.
That was the Dolphins’ lone turnover, while their defense kept coming up with the ball. Xavien Howard made an interception for the fifth game in a row, and Mahomes’ interception total for the season rose to five.
