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AFC playoff picture: Chiefs earn first-round bye with Patriots loss

The odds were stacked against the Kansas City Chiefs heading into Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the planets aligned just right so that, despite those odds, the Chiefs still ended the day with an all-important first-round bye in the NFL playoffs as the surprise No. 2 seed in the AFC.

On Sunday, the Chiefs needed to not only put away a tough opponent in their divisional rivals, the L.A. Chargers. They also needed the New England Patriots to complete their fall from grace and lose to the lowly Miami Dolphins—yes, those same Dolphins that have been so clearly tanking (yet not tanking) all season long.