The Kansas City Chiefs unwrapped their Christmas present early on Sunday, delivering a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Patrick Mahomes was in vintage form, completing 29-of-38 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns without a single turnover-worthy play, while Russell Wilson struggled under relentless pressure, taking five sacks and throwing an interception as the Steelers’ offense sputtered.
It’s a fitting gift for the Chiefs, who now have the clearest path to the Super Bowl.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at noon ET.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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HIGHEST-GRADED PLAYERS
- DI Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers (90.1)
- S Justin Reid, Kansas City Chiefs (89.8)
- CB Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs (86.7)
Note: Follow along with PFF's in-game grading as our analysts evaluate every player on every play in real time! Grades will then be relocked 90 minutes after the final whistle as our first-run analysis is reviewed.
Click here to see PFF's initial grades from this game!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Steelers interior defender Cameron Heyward delivered a dominant performance, earning a 90.0-plus grade on first review. From 32 pass-rush snaps, he tallied a hit, two hurries, and four additional pass-rush wins that didn’t result in pressure. Heyward was equally impactful against the run, recording five solo tackles — four of which were defensive stops — without missing a single tackle.
ADVANCED BOX SCORE
| Chiefs | Steelers | |
| Total points | 29 | 10 |
| Total offensive plays | 58 | 73 |
| Average EPA per play | 0.279 | -0.132 |
| Total net yards | 379 | 378 |
| Avg yards per play | 6.5 | 5.2 |
| Total first downs | 20 | 22 |
| Rushing first downs | 3 | 7 |
| Passing first downs | 17 | 15 |
| Penalty first downs | 0 | 0 |
| Third-down efficiency | 30% | 50% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 14% | 0% |
| Possessions | 10 | 11 |
| Avg plays per drive | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| Avg yards per drive | 34.5 | 31.5 |
| Avg points per drive | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| Red-zone possessions | 5 | 4 |
| Red-zone plays | 14 | 14 |
| Red-zone TDs | 4 | 1 |
| Red-zone FGs | 1 | 1 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 100% | 50% |
SNAP COUNTS AND PLAYER PARTICIPATION
| Name | Pos. | Snaps played |
| Joe Thuney | G | 62 |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 62 |
| Mike Caliendo | G | 62 |
| Jawaan Taylor | T | 62 |
| Creed Humphrey | C | 62 |
| Trey Smith | G | 62 |
| Travis Kelce | TE | 55 |
| Xavier Worthy | WR | 53 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | 31 |
| Kareem Hunt | HB | 30 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 29 |
| Noah Gray | TE | 28 |
| Marquise Brown | WR | 25 |
| Justin Watson | WR | 21 |
| Isiah Pacheco | HB | 20 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 12 |
| Peyton Hendershot | TE | 4 |
| Nikko Remigio | WR | 1 |
| Wanya Morris | T | 1 |
Steelers' offensive snap counts
| Name | Pos. | Snaps played |
| Russell Wilson | QB | 75 |
| Zach Frazier | C | 75 |
| Mason McCormick | G | 75 |
| Broderick Jones | T | 75 |
| Dan Moore Jr. | T | 68 |
| George Pickens | WR | 68 |
| Isaac Seumalo | G | 63 |
| Calvin Austin III | WR | 56 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 45 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 40 |
| Najee Harris | HB | 34 |
| Van Jefferson | WR | 32 |
| Mike Williams | WR | 31 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 26 |
| Connor Heyward | TE | 21 |
| Spencer Anderson | G | 13 |
| MyCole Pruitt | TE | 10 |
| Scott Miller | WR | 10 |
| Max Scharping | T | 7 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | HB | 1 |
Chiefs' defensive snap counts
| Name | Pos. | Snaps played |
| Tershawn Wharton | DI | 71 |
| Trent McDuffie | CB | 64 |
| Justin Reid | S | 63 |
| Nick Bolton | LB | 59 |
| Bryan Cook | S | 54 |
| Drue Tranquill | LB | 54 |
| Jaden Hicks | S | 53 |
| Christian Roland-Wallace | CB | 50 |
| George Karlaftis | ED | 50 |
| Charles Omenihu | ED | 50 |
| Joshua Williams | CB | 41 |
| Mike Danna | ED | 40 |
| Nazeeh Johnson | CB | 34 |
| Leo Chenal | LB | 29 |
| Keith Taylor Jr. | CB | 25 |
| Felix Anudike-Uzomah | ED | 21 |
| Derrick Nnadi | DI | 18 |
| Marlon Tuipulotu | DI | 13 |
| Mike Pennel | DI | 13 |
| Deon Bush | S | 10 |
| Swayze Bozeman | LB | 7 |
| Cam Jones | LB | 6 |
Steelers' defensive snap counts
| Name | Pos. | Snaps played |
| Patrick Queen | LB | 62 |
| Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | 62 |
| DeShon Elliott | S | 58 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | 58 |
| Alex Highsmith | ED | 52 |
| Cameron Heyward | DI | 50 |
| T.J. Watt | ED | 49 |
| Cory Trice Jr. | CB | 47 |
| Cameron Sutton | CB | 43 |
| Keeanu Benton | DI | 38 |
| Elandon Roberts | LB | 33 |
| Payton Wilson | LB | 29 |
| Nick Herbig | ED | 23 |
| Larry Ogunjobi | DI | 20 |
| James Pierre | CB | 18 |
| Damontae Kazee | S | 16 |
| Montravius Adams | DI | 13 |
| Isaiahh Loudermilk | DI | 6 |
| Jeremiah Moon | ED | 5 |
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