KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Charcandrick West was playing for Joe McKnight. Tyreek Hill was playing for the fans chanting his name. The Chiefs defense was playing for its injured leader.

Everybody on the Kansas City sideline was playing for control of the AFC West.

“This was a big game,” Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson said, stripping off his uniform after a 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night. “It means a lot of things down the road.”

The ramifications begin with the division race, where the Chiefs (10-3) forged a tie with Oakland (10-3) at the top. But they also hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their two head-to-head wins and are positioned for a first-round playoff bye with three regular season games left.

“It’s huge,” Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford said. “It probably won’t hit until afterward and we are unwinding. We have 10 days to actually enjoy it and celebrate it.”

There were plenty of story lines at cold, wind-swept Arrowhead Stadium.

West scored in the first half as Kansas City raced to a 21-3 lead, and then pulled up his jersey to reveal a white shirt that said “Long Live Joe” — a tribute to McKnight, his fellow Louisiana native and a former Chiefs running back shot to death last week.

“He was out there with me tonight,” West said.

Hill scored twice, once on a long touchdown reception and later on a punt return. The dynamic score on special teams came after Hill had fumbled a punt earlier in the game, and as thousands of fans who had bundled up against the cold had begun to say his name in unison.