The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to the AFC Championship game after a 23-14 win against the Houston Texans in the AFC divisional round. Despite a strong performance from Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Chiefs relied on the play of future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce, who caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Kelce’s biggest play came in the fourth quarter when he caught an 11-yard touchdown pass, extending Kansas City’s lead to eight points less than four minutes into the final period. With this performance, Kelce set a new NFL record for the most postseason games with over 100 receiving yards, surpassing Jerry Rice.
The game began with a 63-yard punt return by Nikko Remigio, which was extended to 78 yards after a Houston penalty. The teams exchanged short field goals before Kareem Hunt scored the first touchdown of the game, set up by a 49-yard reception and run by Kelce.
Despite injuring his left knee early in the first quarter, Stroud continued to play well, leading the Texans on two scoring drives. One of these was a 15-play, 82-yard drive to start the second half, ending with a Joe Mixon touchdown. However, the Texans missed the extra point attempt that could have tied the game.
The Chiefs responded with a scoring drive of their own, capped by Kelce’s touchdown catch. Kansas City’s defense and special teams then stepped up with key plays to secure the win.
Here’s a closer look at how the Chiefs advanced to their seventh consecutive AFC Championship game.
Why the Chiefs won
Kansas City received an outstanding performance from Kelce, who had only one 100-yard receiving game in the regular season. Kelce was supported by rookie Xavier Worthy, who made five catches for 45 yards in his postseason debut. Patrick Mahomes was 12 of 14 for 162 yards and a touchdown when targeting Kelce or Worthy, but was only 4 of 11 for 15 yards on throws to other players.
The Chiefs’ offense improved in the red zone in the second half. After converting just one of three red-zone opportunities in the first half, they scored touchdowns on both of their trips inside the Texans’ 20-yard line after halftime.
Kansas City’s defense also made crucial plays, including timely sacks of Stroud. The Texans quarterback was sacked a total of eight times, with George Karlaftis recording three sacks, including one on a fourth down with under 10 minutes remaining.
Special teams were another bright spot for the Chiefs. Remigio’s long return to start the game set the tone, and Justin Reid’s blocked field goal attempt with 1:52 left and the Chiefs leading by 11 points helped seal the victory.
Why the Texans lost
Houston fought hard but had too many mistakes that prevented them from making it to their first conference title game. A major issue for the Texans was special teams, as Ka’imi Fairbairn missed two field goals.
Penalties were another problem for Houston. The Texans were penalized eight times for 82 yards, while Kansas City was flagged four times for 29 yards. Some of the penalties on Houston were questionable, but others were clear.
While Houston’s defense played well for most of the game, it struggled in the second half, especially in the red zone, and allowed too many big plays to Kelce.
Offensively, the Texans’ offensive line had trouble protecting Stroud, but the offense still played well overall. Stroud was able to connect with Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, and Xavier Hutchinson for a combined 13 passes and 196 yards. Houston’s offense also outrushed the Chiefs, 149-50.
If the Texans had all their receivers healthy, it’s possible they could have won the game.
Turning point/play of the game
The turning point came after Houston missed an extra point and had a chance to tie the game. The Chiefs regained control on their next drive when Mahomes found Kelce for a touchdown while he was falling to the ground.
Quotable
There were some controversial calls during the game, many of which went against the Texans. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who was calling the game for ESPN, commented on the penalties.
“We knew going into this game, man, it was us versus everybody,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans after the game, referring to the officiating. “When I say everybody, I mean everybody. The naysayers, the doubt. Everybody we had to go against again today. Going into this game knowing what we were up against, we can’t make the mistakes we made. We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes.”
What’s next
The Chiefs will face the winner of the Ravens vs. Bills game in Buffalo. Kansas City won their season opener against the Ravens but lost to the Bills in their regular-season matchup.
Houston, on the other hand, won the AFC South division title and a wild-card round playoff game. They will hope to improve their protection, special teams, and receiving corps for another playoff run next season.
