ALEX OKAFOR

Patrick Mahomes threw his first two touchdown passes in nearly a month, Clyde Edwards-Helaire added two more scores on the ground, and the Kansas City Chiefs forced five turnovers in rolling to a record-setting 48-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Green Bay Packers did all they could defensively to help out Jordan Love in his first career start.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (AP) — Veteran defensive end Alex Okafor has signed a one-year deal to return to the Kansas City Chiefs, just days before the first players begin reporting for training camp. The Chiefs did not disclose financial terms in announcing the deal Tuesday. The 30-year-old Okafor has 30 sacks and 183 tackles in eight NFL seasons, including the past two with the Chiefs. Okafor made an immediate impact in helping rebuild the Kansas City defense, recording five sacks and 21 combined tackles in 10 games.

Now, the Chiefs will have to take a much different tact if they want to make their third consecutive Super Bowl. While their core group is signed for the next several years, the Chiefs have a raft of important contributors that are due to hit free agency. Ad“Like all teams, we'll get busy here going down the road,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “Every year is different because of your cap situation and what you have and what you need,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. WELCOME BACKThe Chiefs should get some help from guys that were injured or opted out of this past season.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates after the AFC championship NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. – It took the Kansas City Chiefs five frustrating decades to make their third Super Bowl appearance. That’s not how you’re supposed to play football.”It capped a bitter night for the Bills, who had reached their first AFC title game since beating Kansas City at home on Jan. 1, 1994. You don't beat Kansas City by kicking field goals from the 3-yard line, though. He’s fast.”Any hopes the Bills had of a comeback were dashed when Rashad Fenton picked off a tipped pass deep in Kansas City territory.

However, none was able to knock off the Chiefs in the final AP Pro32 poll of the 2020 regular season. The Buffalo Bills stayed at No. The teams split their two meetings in the regular season, but the Seahawks won the most recent matchup, in Week 16. The Baltimore Ravens, the third team from the AFC North to make the playoffs, stayed at No. 16 after topping Philadelphia in the last game of the regular season and was the lowest-ranked team to make the playoffs.

– The regression was almost inevitable after Patrick Mahomes put up record-setting numbers during his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs' starting quarterback, highlighted by nearly 5,100 yards passing and 50 touchdown throws. He's doing a great job there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week, "and I'm really proud of the progress he's made in so many areas. “It seems like every year we're getting a new scheme or a new way defenses are going about playing us,” Mahomes said. But our team does a great job making adjustments.”Or rather, Mahomes does a great job of making adjustments. "He's had an opportunity to sit in on some zoom meetings (while going through COVID-19 testing)," Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said.

File-This Oct. 6, 2019, file photo shows New York Jets' Le'Veon Bell, right, rushing past Philadelphia Eagles' Rodney McLeod during the first half of an NFL football game in Philadelphia. The New York Jets have surprisingly released Bell, ending a disappointing tenure after less than two full seasons. – Le'Veon Bell once carried the ball a league-leading 321 times in a single season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell has been the focal point of defenses for the majority of his career, whether that was in Pittsburgh or during his short stint with the New York Jets. Bell knew that no matter how involved he would be in the Chiefs offense, he would have a chance to win a championship.

“But if teams are going to play us like this, we’ve got to show we can run the football.”Mission accomplished. Led by Edwards-Helaire’s 161 yards rushing, the Chiefs finished with 245 — the most since Mahomes took over as starter in 2017. The Chiefs, who were originally scheduled to play three games in 11 days, wound up having two more days of rest than the Bills. During that drive, Buffalo’s Justin Zimmer stripped the ball from Edwards-Helaire at the Kansas City 30. Kansas City had four drives of 10 plays or more and dominated time of possession by more than 15 minutes.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) jumps to pass the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, in Baltimore. With Mahomes leading the way, the Chiefs (3-0) emphatically ended the Ravens’ 14-game regular-season winning streak while extending their own run to 12 games (including playoffs). The fleet-footed quarterback is 21-4 as Baltimore's starter, and three of those defeats have come against Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions — one on a run by Mahomes, the other on a pass — for a 13-3 lead. Following that second score, Ravens rookie Devin Duvernay fielded the kickoff and sprinted down the right sideline for a 93-yard touchdown.

That run includes a come-from-behind 51-31 victory over the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Texans' Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, but he also was under relentless pressure and was intercepted once. The elusive Johnson finished it off by scampering 19 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a TD later in the quarter to make the final score a bit more respectable. The teams then stood together in a line that stretched from one end zone to the other for a moment of silence before the coin toss.