Chiefs Beat Dolphins, but Fail in Playoff Bid

The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins battled for 60 minutes, then learned their game had been meaningless in the playoff race.

Nick Lowery kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:31 left to give Kansas City a 27-24 victory Sunday. A few minutes later, Pittsburgh completed a 31-22 victory over Tampa Bay that ensured both AFC wild-card teams will be from the Central Division.

The Chiefs (8-7-1) won four of their final five games to finish over .500 for only the second time since 1981. But Kansas City failed to make the playoffs for the 17th time in the past 18 years.

Houston (9-7) will be one AFC wild-card team. Cincinnati (8-7) will be the other if the Bengals beat Minnesota tonight. If they don’t, Pittsburgh (9-7) will make the playoffs.

Miami finished 8-8 and would have been eliminated from the playoffs even with a victory Sunday. The Dolphins lost four of their final five games and for the fourth consecutive year failed to make the playoffs.

The Dolphins had rallied from a 24-14 deficit with two fourth-quarter scores to tie Sunday’s game with 4:24 to go. But Kansas City moved 44 yards in nine plays to set up Lowery’s field goal.

Dan Marino then hit Mark Clayton for 35 yards to the Chiefs’ 45-yard line, but on the next series Clayton dropped a fourth-down pass at the Chiefs’ 29 with 1:02 left.

Kansas City’s Christian Okoye carried 26 times for 98 yards to all but clinch his first NFL rushing title. He finished with 1,480 yards in 370 carries, both team records.

“It’s a pretty big goal for me to lead the league in rushing,” said Okoye, who attended Azusa Pacific College. “To look at it and say I did it, thank God.”