From every angle of analysis, the Kansas City Chiefs had firmly grasped their fate in their own hands. As long as they could defeat the Oakland Raiders, the top seed spot in the AFC would belong to the defending champions.
But here, the Oakland Raiders were always an unknown factor. Even though they were strong contenders for the second-to-last place in the league this season, even though the final week's game was about to take place at Arrowhead Chiefs; one must not forget, the matches between the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs, these divisional arch-rivals, can never be judged by the usual standards.
Who knows how the Oakland Raiders would choose between "the draft pick position next year" and "sabotaging the divisional arch-rival's playoff plans"?
This was why the penultimate week of the regular season was so crucial, the Kansas City Chiefs needed to win, needed to keep the initiative in their own hands.
The result—
The Kansas City Chiefs did it.