PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, in a game they hoped carried a different meaning. Heading into their three-games in 11 days stretch, the black and gold had an opportunity to compete for the top seed in the AFC and claim the AFC North crown.

Now, things aren’t different. They’re fighting to remain the division crown, and will need to beat the Chiefs to keep themselves at the top of the race instead of banking on help from the Baltimore Ravens.

The Buffalo Bills didn’t make that challenge any easier. After going down early in Week 16 against the New England Patriots, it looked as if the Bills were going to give Kansas City and early Christmas present. A loss and the Chiefs claimed home-field advantage in the AFC, which would’ve taken a lot of pressure off them to play injured players like Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones.

Instead, Buffalo climbed their way back and won, keeping the AFC race alive. And heading into Week 17 against the Steelers, it gave Kansas City every ounce of motivation to keep their winning ways alive and beat the Steelers.

The Steelers are 2.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs heading into Week 17. They’ll be looking to get names like George Pickens and DeShon Elliott back on the field, while monitoring a list of Chiefs injuries that includes Jones and offensive tackle D.J. Humphries.

Nothing will come easy this Christmas for Pittsburgh, and thanks to the Bills, their hopes of Carson Wentz and some backups starting at Acrisure Stadium won’t happen. It’ll be good on good for those tuning in for the holiday showdown.

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Several inches of wet snow are expected accumulate across parts of Michigan through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service, with some areas possibly experiencing more than 6 inches of accumulation of wet snow.

While the southern Lower Peninsula is expected to receive a mix of rain and snow early in the week, the highest snowfall totals are expected north of M-46.

Christmas Day, however, could look a little different, according to the NWS office in Detroit/Pontiac, as warmer weather moves in and rain by the weekend.

With lake effect snow, western Michigan could experience accumulation Monday with 2 to 4 inches of snow with temperatures in the high 30s.

Roads could become slippery and messy early this week, and NWS offices across the state are encouraging Michiganders to leave extra travel time for commutes.

How much snow is expected in west Michigan?

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids issued a winter weather advisory through Monday.

“Low pressure will bring snow and mixed precipitation today with 2 to 4 inches of snow north of I-96 and snow, sleet and freezing rain to the south. Highs will be in the lower 30s,” the weather service said. “Wintry weather today will feature a mix of sleet, snow, and freezing rain across southern Lower Michigan, while 2 to 4 inches of snow is expected in central and northern Lower Michigan. The precipitation will taper off to snow flurries this evening.”

Northern Michigan expected to see gradual warming before Christmas

A winter weather advisory is in effect for northern Michigan and parts of the UP today, the National Weather Service in Gaylord said.

“Snow will continue to spread across the area this morning. Heavier, wet snow will be seen over eastern upper for this mornings commute. This heavier, west snow will show up over northern lower a few hours later — more around the mid-morning hours. Drive carefully today, as wet snow leads to slushy and slipper roads,” the weather service said.

After today, the National Weather Service in Gaylord is predicting a warmer Christmas this year.

“Skies will be mostly cloudy for the majority of the week with temperatures becoming mild, said the weather service in a statement on X.

Northern Michigan could see a clipper system

Areas in Northern Michigan could see wet snowfall today, thanks to lake effect snow off Lake Michigan and a clipper system, an area of low pressure that usually forms in the southern provinces of Canada, and quickly drops southeast into the eastern U.S., bringing a shot of cold, arctic air with it.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Monday.

“A system moving through the Great Lakes will produce widespread light, wet snow today across south central Upper Michigan,” the weather service said.

Expected snowfall through Dec. 24

In the Lower Peninsula, the weather service predicted lower snowfall totals for areas farther south. Here’s a look at some expectations:

• Detroit: 1 inch
• Grand Rapids: 1 inch 
• Big Rapids: 2 inches 
• Cadillac: 6 inches 
• Clare: 4 inches
• Bad Axe: 6 inches
• Kalamazoo: 1 inch
• Muskegon: 1 inch
• Lansing: 1 inch

Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.

MINNEAPOLIS — From Gov. Tim Walz becoming the Democratic nominee for vice president to the whirlwind conclusion of Minnesota’s legislative session, 2024 was packed with political highlights in the state. 

Here’s a look back at some of the biggest moments of the year. 

2024 Election

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her vice presidential running mate, putting the state in the national spotlight for the 2024 presidential election. 

President-elect Donald Trump would go on to win the November election thanks, in part, to the battleground state of Wisconsin flipping in favor of Trump. However, the Minnesota section of the “blue wall” held on Election Day, marking the 13th straight presidential race where the Democratic candidate won the state — and the seventh time that candidate lost.

Trump wasted little time after becoming president-elect to start announcing picks for his cabinet. Just one week after the election, Trump announced he would be selecting Minnesotan Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. The Fox News Channel host was valedictorian at Forest Lake High School and was a member of the Minnesota National Guard.

On a state level, a close House race has resulted in a court battle.

Incumbent DFL Rep. Brad Tabke beat GOP candidate Aaron Paul by 14 votes and maintained his lead after a recount in the race for House District 54A covering Shakopee. Now, Paul is asking a judge to invalidate the results after an investigation by county officials found 21 missing ballots were likely thrown away in the trash and cannot be recovered.

If the results are invalidated, the seat would be declared vacant and a special election would happen sometime early next year. The race will determine control of the House. 

Around 45,000 Minnesota Democrats voted for “uncommitted” instead of incumbent President Biden during the presidential primary in March. The votes were the result of an effort by Uncommitted MN, a group protesting Biden’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Chaotic end to Minnesota legislative session

In May, political tensions reached a boiling point over a last-minute decision by Democrats to put their unfinished priorities into one bill to get them across the finish line.

Democrats bypassed debate and went straight to a vote on a tax bill in which they added provisions from eight other proposals. The move resulted in a descension into chaos in the Minnesota Legislature.

Democrats said the state House did what was needed to pass their agenda, while Republicans were yelling “tyranny” and “communism” in the final minutes of the session, seeking motions to stop the vote. 

What bills did and didn’t pass the Minnesota Legislature this year?

PASSED

DIDN’T PASS

New laws in effect in 2024

Other headlines

In April, Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, was charged with first-degree burglary. According to the criminal complaint, Mitchell is accused of burgling her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes. Mitchell has pleaded not guilty, denied stealing and stayed in office despite calls from Democrats and Republicans for her to resign.    

Cannabis regulators are pushing a plan for the initial rollout of the state’s legal marijuana market to spring of next year following a judge’s decision to halt a planned lottery last month to choose the first business license holders.  

The state’s new flag and State Seal are now in official use, following months of meetings, spirited debates, design submissions and an attempt by some Republican lawmakers to halt the flag’s rollout. 

Minnesota is expected to have a $616 million surplus in the next two-year budget, according to the latest forecast, but state officials say there is a looming $5 billion deficit in future years.