BYRON PRINGLE

Just eight teams remain in the fight for Super Bowl LVI. This week, we're backing the Packers and Chiefs to cover the spread.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 404 yards and five touchdowns, Travis Kelce caught a TD pass and threw another one, and the Chiefs sent Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into his expected retirement with a 42-21 win in the wild-card round of the playoffs Sunday night.

The last time the Chiefs played the Steelers, record-setting wide receiver Tyreek Hill had just recovered from COVID-19 and star tight end Travis Kelce was sitting at home and still dealing with the virus.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, Byron Pringle caught two of the TD passes, and the Chiefs beat the Steelers 36-10 on Sunday to clinch their sixth consecutive AFC West title.

Another 21 NFL players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, including Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton and tight end Blake Bell.

Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes and returned to his usual form after a surprisingly shaky stretch this season, and the Kansas City Chiefs moved into first place in the AFC West with a 41-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Turn on the TV or listen to talk radio and just about everyone has an opinion on why Patrick Mahomes is playing so poorly.

The Kansas City Chiefs have never been shy about giving players with questionable backgrounds a second chance.

Chad Henne and rookie Shane Buechele threw touchdown passes to help the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Arizona Cardinals 17-10 in a preseason game Friday night.

Now, the Chiefs will have to take a much different tact if they want to make their third consecutive Super Bowl. While their core group is signed for the next several years, the Chiefs have a raft of important contributors that are due to hit free agency. Ad“Like all teams, we'll get busy here going down the road,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “Every year is different because of your cap situation and what you have and what you need,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. WELCOME BACKThe Chiefs should get some help from guys that were injured or opted out of this past season.

It was an enormous mistake in the opening minutes of the AFC championship game on Sunday, and Chiefs coach Andy Reid could have easily given his young wide receiver the cold shoulder. They're going to keep me up, keep me motivated — make sure I don't have my head down,” Hardman said. They have been without Sammy Watkins since Week 16 because of a calf injury, and the veteran wide receiver was a surprise scratch on Sunday, putting pressure on Hardman and fellow wide receiver Byron Pringle to continue to pick up the slack. “We are a group of guys that want to be perfect and strive for that perfection, no matter what we do. I think we're going to take that same mentality into the Super Bowl.”___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

– Patrick Mahomes did just about everything for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. On the second, Mahomes claimed to see Hill “a little banged up” and decided to carry him — horse-and-jockey style — back to the Kansas City sideline. While the Jets answered with the first of three first-half field goals, the Chiefs kept scoring touchdowns. Mahomes hit Robinson from 26 yards out for his fourth TD pass, giving Kansas City a 28-9 lead late in the third quarter. Mahomes capped his big day with his second touchdown throw to Hill early in the fourth.

___7:10 p.m.Tom Brady moved one touchdown pass ahead of Drew Brees for the career lead. The Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars combined for four touchdowns in the final 5:25 of the third quarter. The Los Angeles Chargers have blown another large, second-quarter lead, this time to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers jumped out to a 16-0 lead, but the Jaguars have scored 21 unanswered points. New York leads 3-0.

“But if teams are going to play us like this, we’ve got to show we can run the football.”Mission accomplished. Led by Edwards-Helaire’s 161 yards rushing, the Chiefs finished with 245 — the most since Mahomes took over as starter in 2017. The Chiefs, who were originally scheduled to play three games in 11 days, wound up having two more days of rest than the Bills. During that drive, Buffalo’s Justin Zimmer stripped the ball from Edwards-Helaire at the Kansas City 30. Kansas City had four drives of 10 plays or more and dominated time of possession by more than 15 minutes.