NICK ALLEGRETTI

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills pitched a near-perfect game in their playoff victory against the New England Patriots.

The backstory behind Chiefs lineman Nick Allegretti catching a touchdown in Sunday’s win vs. the Steelers. (It wasn’t supposed to happen.)

Patrick Mahomes threw for 404 yards and five touchdowns, Travis Kelce caught a TD pass and threw another one, and the Chiefs sent Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into his expected retirement with a 42-21 win in the wild-card round of the playoffs Sunday night.

– The Kansas City Chiefs released starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz on Thursday as they sought to squeeze under the salary cap. Fisher and Schwartz were instrumental in helping the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers for their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. Fisher tore his Achilles tendon in the AFC title game and Schwartz missed half the season with a back injury. AdThe Chiefs signed the 31-year-old Schwartz in 2016 to bookend with Fisher on a revamped offensive line. Now, the Chiefs intend to rebuild their offensive line without Fisher and Schwartz factoring in.

– It was an easy decision for Daniel Sorensen to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. No fewer than 22 players drafted in the third round or later — or not all — are on the Chiefs roster as they finish their prep work for the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have won consistently for the better part of a decade, with a roster dotted by more stars than there are in the nighttime sky. When injuries popped up on the offensive line, the Chiefs plugged a big hole with Nick Allegretti, a seventh-round pick in 2019. “When they're looking for guys to add to our roster,” Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck said, “they're looking for guys that love football, love to compete.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Stefen Wisniewski celebrates at the end of the AFC championship NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs were supposed to have a talented lineup of millionaires, each a seasoned veteran of the rough-and-tumble NFL, protecting their half-billion dollar quarterback as they defended their Super Bowl title this season. Instead, they'll have a motley cast of late-round draft picks, journeymen and castoffs making up their offensive line. Austin Reiter was the expected center with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at right guard and Mitchell Schwartz, also a former All-Pro and one of the league's most durable players, handling right tackle. Get it to my playmakers in space and let them make some good things happen.”___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL