Chiefs move closer to first round bye with 27-19 win over Texans

By MATT PIKE

St. Joseph Post

The Kansas City Chiefs are one step closer to securing a first round bye in the NFL playoffs after beating the Houston Texans on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium 27-19. 

There were questions early in the week about whether Patrick Mahomes, who has a history of ankle injuries, would play at all after he sustained a high ankle sprain late in last week’s win over Cleveland. But he was off the injury report by Friday, and he was on the field and leading the Chiefs to a touchdown on their opening possession, following an interception from rookie Jaden Hicks on the Texans opening drive. 

Mahomes knew he could run on the ankle he sprained last week. The bigger concern for the Chiefs quarterback was how he would stop, when all the weight and pressure and momentum would land squarely upon it.  The solution against Houston was simple: Mahomes didn’t stop.

The two-time MVP kept chugging forward until he plowed into the end zone on a 15-yard scramble to cap the Chiefs’ 11 play opening drive to take the early lead. 

That however, started a back and forth affair.  After Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a 33 yard field goal near the end of the first quarter, the Chiefs were forced to punt, leading to a 13 play drive that ended with Houston taking the lead on a 10 yard pass from CJ Stroud to tight end Dalton Schultz

Kansas City took the lead back though heading into the halftime break, first getting a three yard touchdown run from Kareem Hunt.  Then, after Trent McDuffie got his second career interception, the Chiefs worked into field goal position, where Harrison Butker hit a 44 yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining, sending Kansas City to the halftime break with a 17-10 lead. 

After deferring to the second half, the Chiefs opened up with the first possession but were forced to punt.  Houston took advantage and scored, a 30 yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Tank Dell, but on the play disaster struck, and Dell, who had six catches for 98 yards, sustained a devastating knee injury on the play and was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center, where Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he would remain overnight.

Fairbairn missed the extra point, leaving the Chiefs up by one point, and after a turnover on downs by Kansas City and a punt from the Texans, Mahomes scored again, this time on a passing touchdown finding Xavier Worthy for an eight yard score, extending the lead to 24-16 with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter. 

A 14 play drive from the Texans carried through the remainder of the third and into the fourth quarter, where early in the final frame of regulation Fairbairn was sent out and hit a 38 yard field goal, but Kansas City answered with a 14 play drive of their own, that also ended with a field goal, 27 yards from Butker. 

Houston was forced into a three and out on the next drive, and the Chiefs got the ball back on a punt with 3:41 remaining, and would go on to run out the remaining time to leave victorious. 

Mahomes was 28 of 41 passing for 160 yards with one touchdown, rushing five times for 33 yards and a score as well.  Hunt ran 11 times for 55 yards and a touchdown, while Isiah Pacheco ran nine times for 26 yards.  Worthy was the leading receiver with seven catches for 66 yards and a score.  Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, in his first game since suffering a shoulder injury in week one of the preseason, caught five passes for 45 yards.

The Chiefs (14-1) can clinch the postseason bye and home-field advantage if Buffalo loses to or ties New England on Sunday. If the Bills win, Kansas City can wrap it up by beating Pittsburgh on Christmas Day — its third game in an 11-day span.

Kickoff between the Chiefs and Steelers will be at noon on Christmas Day.  Pregame will be at 11am on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) and on Q Country 92.7.  The game will also be one of two on the day streamed live on Netflix.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.