(Reuters) – Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce got everything on his Christmas wish list on Wednesday, as the nine-times Pro Bowler hauled in a franchise record 77th receiving touchdown in the Chiefs’ confident 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The defending Super Bowl champions took the lead immediately in front of a hostile away crowd and never let off the gas as they extended their record to 15-1 and clinched the top playoff seed in the AFC.
Kelce became only the third NFL tight end to record 1,000 or more career receptions during the game and surpassed Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez’s record for most receiving touchdowns in Chiefs’ history on a 12-yard reception from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“It’s everything to me. Tony’s been a mentor for me,” Kelce said in televised remarks after the game. “I feel like I’m still trying to fill that guy’s shoes.”
Gonzalez previously promised to pay any potential fine if the 35-year-old Kelce celebrated with a signature Gonzalez “dunk” of the ball over the goalpost. Kelce did just that. Post-touchdown dunks were once routine but have more recently been punishable with fines.
The win ensured the Chiefs will get a first-round bye in the playoffs and will play the entirety of their postseason at home, as they hope to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.
“I thought it was a full team performance. Defense stepped up, offense stepped up, everybody had their imprint on the game,” said three-time Super Bowl MVP Mahomes, who donned a matching Santa jacket with Kelce after the win.
The game was the first of two Christmas Day match-ups airing on subscription service Netflix for the first time, as the streaming giant muscles in on the business of live sports.
The NFL said that viewers from more than 200 countries had tuned in during the game, as the league looks to expand its global footprint.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Howard Goller)
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