In many respects, it was a perfect day for the Kansas City Chiefs. They beat the Lions 45-17 to claim their first AFC West Title since 1997, which was the last time they went to the playoffs. But perfection could actually be measured as far as their quarterback was concerned. Trent Green achieved a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3, going 20-25 for 341 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Green was helped out by Derrick Blaylock and Tony Gonzalez, who combined for 11 catches for 199 yards. Gonzalez caught two of Green’s three touchdowns. Gonzalez was as excited as anyone on the team, but he said that they can’t get too caught up in a division title, “Right now we’re gonna have fun with this, go out there and party a little bit. But then it’s back to work, baby. We gotta go out there, we got a long way to go. Got playoffs coming up and we’re gonna get ready for it.” Priest Holmes was steady, rushing 18 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 42 yards. Dick Vermeil held back tears talking about his starting running back, “Priest Holmes is a very, very special human being and a very special football player and I love the guy. He is sort of the heartbeat for this whole group, you know? They look at him, they look up to him and they follow him.” The Chiefs have now won 12 in a row at Arrowhead Stadium, which sets a franchise record, and the Lions have lost 23 in a row on the road, which ties an NFL mark. Their win, didn’t give them any relief in the home-field advantage race, as the Patriots topped the Jaguars 27-13. Kansas City and New England are both 12-2, but New England would have home-field advantage if the season ended today because they’re one game better than the Chiefs in the AFC.
