AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:43 p.m. EST

By AP

Mahomes throws 3 TDs as Chiefs clinch AFC’s top seed by breezing past the skidding Steelers 29-10

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the top seed in the AFC for the fourth time in seven seasons with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions raced to an early 13-point lead and were never really threatened by the Steelers (10-6). Pittsburgh has dropped three straight to see its chances of capturing the AFC North take another hit. Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Kelce also became the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions, joining Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

Jackson breaks Vick’s NFL rushing record for QBs in Ravens’ rout over Texans

HOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in NFL history in a 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday. Jackson moved past Vick on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Jackson had 87 yards rushing to give him 6,110 yards, moving him past Vick, who piled up 6,109 in his 13-year career.

LeBron James scores 31 in record 19th Christmas Day game as Lakers hold off Curry, Warriors 115-113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Reaves scored the winning layup with one second left after Stephen Curry tied it on a 31-foot 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists playing in his NBA-record 19th Christmas Day game, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Golden State Warriors 115-113. Curry scored 38 with eight 3s, hitting one under pressure from the baseline with 12 seconds left and another with 2:49 remaining only for James to answer from long range on the other end. Reaves recorded a triple-double.

Bridges scores season-high 41, Knicks withstand Wembanyama’s monster Christmas debut to edge Spurs

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored a season-high 41 points, and the New York Knicks overcame 42 from Victor Wembanyama in a monster Christmas debut to edge the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 on Wednesday. Wembanyama set a Spurs record for points on the holiday and added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. The reigning Western Conference player of the week made six 3-pointers. But Bridges shot 17 for 25 from the field, 6 for 9 behind the arc, to make sure the Knicks had just enough offense to win their fifth in a row and improve to 20-10.

Embiid shakes off pregame fall, leads Sixers to 118-114 win over Celtics

BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid popped up from a pregame fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum scored 32 with 15 rebounds for Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 23 and Derrick White had 21. Boston wore red socks and leggings with their green jerseys for an extra dose of Christmas spirit. Embiid made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and sank a pair of free throws with 3 seconds left to turn back Boston’s final rally.

Mavs brace for another Doncic absence, with more evidence of how to stay afloat

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks will have to wait to see how long they’ll be without Luka Doncic because of his latest left calf injury. They also have another example of how to stay afloat until the superstar’s return. Doncic exited late in the second quarter of a 105-99 Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, and the deflated Mavs found themselves down 28 points late in the third. Yet, Kyrie Irving had a 3-point attempt in the final minute that would have put Dallas in front. His shot was short, as was the rally. There was no update on Doncic after the game. The Mavs are 6-2 in games without him this season.

Pro Picks: Chargers over Patriots is the best bet and Broncos and Vikings will pull off upsets

Playoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17. There’s going to be plenty of football on television this holiday week with the NFL playing games on five out of six days, starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day that featured four of the AFC’s top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs trounced Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Wednesday. Then, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens routed C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 31-2. The Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night and there are three games on Saturday, making Sunday’s schedule light at nine games.

Beyoncé’s performance highlighted Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas Day

Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas Day. Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd in a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday. She surprised fans by bringing out Shaboozey to perform “Sweet Honey Buckiin” and Post Malone joined her for “Levii’s Jeans.” The action on the field didn’t live up to expectations as the NFL showcased four of the AFC’s top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce exposed a glitch in Pittsburgh’s defense during Kansas City’s 29-10 rout in the first game. The broadcast itself went off just fine.

Bill Bergey, a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Eagles, dies at 79

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Bergey, a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker who played in a Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles, has died at the age of 79. The Eagles announced that Bergey died Wednesday. His son, Jake, said on social media that his father died of cancer. Bergey had been open about his fight with the disease over the last few years. Bergey, who was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2009, said he had a form of jaw cancer. His last season was 1980 when the Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders. Bergey played in all 16 games but he retired because of a lingering knee injury.

Lakers big man Anthony Davis exits Christmas game with sprained left ankle

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lakers big man Anthony Davis didn’t return for Los Angeles against Golden State after spraining his left ankle midway through the first quarter. Davis stepped awkwardly and rolled the ankle while moving through the paint toward the Lakers basket and exited with 4:48 remaining in the quarter. He went to the locker room and initially was listed as questionable to come back.