The Chiefs are a step closer to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Kansas City defeated Houston 27-19 on Saturday afternoon, making the club 14-1 on the season with just two weeks remaining.
The Chiefs played a clean game on offense and turned a pair of C.J. Stroud interceptions into 10 points. Despite suffering an ankle sprain during last Sunday’s victory over the Browns, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to open the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run, capitalizing on Stroud’s first turnover.
Mahomes had also scrambled for a 12-yard run on that possession, displaying the relative health of the ankle.
While the Texans took a 10-7 lead with a 33-yard field goal followed by a 10-yard touchdown from Stroud to Dalton Schultz, Kansas City would grab the lead back for good with Kareem Hunt’s 3-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.
Harrison Butker connected on field goals of 44 and 27 yards, and Xavier Worthy also had an 8-yard touchdown to round out the Chiefs’ scoring.
Houston nearly tied the game early in the third quarter with a 30-yard touchdown reception by Tank Dell. But after Dell suffered a serious knee injury on the catch, Ka’imi Fairbairn missed the extra point to keep Kansas City ahead, 17-16. The Texans could not find the end zone again.
Mahomes ended the game 28-of-41 for 260 yards with a touchdown. He rushed for 33 yards on five carries. Kareem Hunt added 55 yards on 11 carries and had two catches for 24 yards.
Worthy was the leading receiver with 65 yards on seven catches with a TD. In his Chiefs debut, Hollywood Brown finished with five catches for 45 yards — including a fourth-down reception that moved the chains on Kansas City’s opening touchdown drive.
Overall, the Chiefs had 25 first downs, 375 total yards, and were 7-of-13 on third down.
On the other side, Stroud ended the game 23-of-39 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 23 yards.
Dell was the leading receiver with six catches for 98 yards with a TD, while Nico Collins caught seven passes for 60 yards. Joe Mixon finished with 57 yards on 14 carries.
Kansas City now has a two-game lead over Buffalo for the AFC’s No. 1 seed with two games to go. The club can clinch the conference’s only bye with a victory in either of the last two games or a Bills loss. The Chiefs will be on the road to face the Steelers on Christmas Day.
With the loss, the 9-6 Texans have already clinched the AFC South and are in a position to be the conference’s No. 4 seed. Houston will play Baltimore on Christmas Day.
