¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íø

FULL BOX SCORE

• REWATCH: Texans-Chiefs on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Kelce posts record ninth 100-yard receiving playoff game
• READ: Texans voice dismay with officiating following loss

1. Chiefs D leads return to AFC Championship Game. In a hard-hitting, defensive slugfest played amid frigid and windy temps, it was Steve Spagnuolo’s band of marauders who stood largest and kept the quest for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat alive and well. The Chiefs defense -- led by an outstanding day from George Karlaftis -- harassed C.J. Stroud all game, leaving him battered and hobbled. Kansas City, as its wont to do, dialed up the pressure late to salt away its seventh straight trip to the AFC Championship Game. Karlaftis had three of his team’s eight sacks and eight of its 21 pressures. Stroud hung tough throughout, leading the Texans to a 336-212 advantage in total yards. Unfortunately for Houston, it added up to but one touchdown. Kansas City has become a team led by its defense, while reliant on the Patrick Mahomes-led offense coming through when it needs to. It’s a reverse of past seasons but successful just the same. Teams to outgain their opponent by 100-plus yards and commit zero turnovers were 46-0 in the playoffs during the Super Bowl era before Saturday. Now, they’re 46-1. The Chiefs defense -- Karlaftis, Chris Jones, Justin Reid and many more -- bent, but they did not break, and have Kansas City’s hopes for another Lombardi going strong.
2. Anderson, Texans defense played winning football. In a game overflowing with defensive talent such as the Chiefs’ Jones and Trent McDuffie, along with the Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. and Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. was a dynamo in the first half. He blew up the Chiefs’ offense more often than not. All told he finished the game with four tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, two QB hits and four QB pressures. Anderson was less impactful in the second half, and so too was the Texans defense, but DeMeco Ryan’s squad still played good enough for a victory. The Texans held the Chiefs offense -- No. 2 in third-down conversions in the regular season -- to 4 of 11 in that department and only 212 total yards. When you walk away from a playoff game holding Mahomes to 177 passing yards, you’re usually celebrating. Instead, the Texans’ journey for its first-ever AFC Championship Game will continue for at least another year.
3. Kelce steps up huge, makes more magic with Mahomes. There are few pass catchers in history who have shined such as Travis Kelce does. That was clear Saturday. Not long after surpassing Jerry Rice for the most 100-yard games receiving in the playoffs with his ninth all time, Kelce hauled in an 11-yard touchdown catch from Mahomes to give the Chiefs a 19-12 lead prior to the extra point. Mahomes’ scrambling and the dart he threw while falling forward as his legs were taken out from him was the highlight, but Kelce getting open was the constant. He tallied game highs of seven receptions for 117 yards, more yards than he had in any game in the regular season. Included was a postseason career-long 49-yard game-changing reception in which he was the wide-open weaving talent that’s en route to Canton. Big-game Trav was in full effect, posting a stellar effort for an offense that largely struggled.
4. Nothing special for Texans. Houston’s special teams had a bad day at a horrible time. The Texans allowed a 63-yard kickoff return from Nikko Remigio on the game’s first play. That led to Kris Boyd throwing his helmet, a 15-yard penalty and a subsequent shove of special teams coach Frank Ross. On one of the game’s final plays, Ka'imi Fairbairn had his 35-yard field goal attempt blocked to cap an all-around awful day for the usually stellar Texans booter. He was 2 for 4 on field goals and 0 for 1 on extra points, marking the first time he’s missed a PAT and FG in the same game since Week 5, 2021, against the New England Patriots, per ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch. In 2024, including the playoffs, Fairbairn has attempted 40 extra points, going 1 for 3 in two games at Arrowhead Stadium and 36 for 37 everywhere else. He has missed a kick -- field goal or PAT -- in each of his five career games at Arrowhead. In a razor-thin game for most of the afternoon, the kicking game loomed large and too often came up small for Houston.
5. Penalties play part in game’s narrative. At game’s end, the Texans had eight accepted penalties for 82 yards against them. In contrast, the Chiefs had four for 29. It was, in particular, two flags drawn for hits on Mahomes that drew the ire of the Texans and the outrage of social media. On a third-and-8 Mahomes incompletion early in the game, Anderson was flagged on a suspect roughing the passer call. It led to a go-ahead field goal. In the third quarter, Mahomes darted this way and that on a scramble, seemingly baiting defenders before he slid late, drawing an unnecessary roughness call. He later hit Kelce for a TD on the drive. The calls were questionable -- many no doubt believing that’s a kind description. The Chiefs are officially a dynasty, which means to most outside of K.C. that everything goes their way. On Saturday, the biggest takeaway was that the Chiefs continue to show they can win the nail-biters, they can prevail in a vast many ways. And the outrage will continue until the reigning kings of the ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøare conquered.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Texans-Chiefs: Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie aligned across from Nico Collins on 22 of his 32 routes (68.8%), allowing two receptions for 42 yards across four targets with an average target separation of 1.0 yard.

¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch: Patrick Mahomes won his eighth consecutive playoff game, breaking a tie with Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, John Elway, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the third-longest QB winning streak in the postseason. In doing so, he improved to 7-0 in the Divisional Round, the most victories without a loss in the Divisional Round in history.