BREAKING: 6 winners and 2 losers from the Chiefs’ win over the Texans

Even in the face of more injuries, your Kansas City Chiefs seemed to be in complete control during Saturday’s 27-19 win over the Houston Texans on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Your two-time defending Super Bowl champions are now 14-1. Unless the New England Patriots give Kansas City an early Christmas present by defeating the Buffalo Bills during Sunday’s late afternoon window, the Chiefs can lock down the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed with a Christmas Day win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s recognize some Kansas City players who made a difference during Saturday’s win.

Winners

Cornerback Trent McDuffie: Already an All Pro, he’s now a turnover machine. He’s now had a pick in two straight weeks — and continues to show us his greatness in tackling and coverage greatness. Honorable mention to rookie Jaden Hicks, who also had another interception.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: The two-time MVP turned in a solid passing performance with 260 yards and a touchdown, taking only one sack behind a makeshift offensive line. But he did that while playing on a high ankle sprain — and on the ground, he was in championship form, splitting the defense and lowering his shoulder to score on a 15-yard scramble.

Wide receiver Hollywood Brown: It took a long time for us to be able to say this, but welcome to Kansas City, Mr. Brown. Five catches for 45 yards — including a fourth-and-1 conversion on his first reception — was a solid debut. He doesn’t appear to have missed a beat — nor does it seem that Mahomes has lost any trust in No. 5.

Running back Samaje Perine: While the savvy eighth-year veteran didn’t get a carry on Saturday, he did catch all three of his targets for 50 critical yards. He’s setting into an important role — and is showing a knack for improvising with his quarterback.

EDGE George Karlaftis: In recent weeks, the former Purdue Boilermaker been a consistent force, getting around the edge with his usual relentless effort. Against Houston, “Furious George” was on a tear, collecting four quarterback hits and a batted pass — and could have gotten credit for a sack when he and Mike Pennel chased the Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud out of bounds.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: It was another quality outing for the speedy rookie, leading Kansas City receivers with seven catches for 65 yards and a score. He’s making his presence felt in every way except deep passes. On Saturday, he had another rep where he caught the ball, but wasn’t able to get his feet inbounds.

Losers

Running back Isiah Pacheco: The Chiefs have been splitting carries fairly evenly between Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. But on this day, Hunt got more — and was more productive, too. Pacheco finished with just nine carries for 26 yards — and lost a yard on his only reception. His time will come.

EDGE Mike Danna: Even as the defense has improved in this area, his pass rush productivity is down. While still a valuable part of the defensive line’s rotation, Danna has been quiet so far this season, recording only 1.5 sacks.