Texans stifle Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs in 20-10 victory to keep pace in AFC South race

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Houston Texans never made their trip to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night into anything more than their next game.

Didn’t matter that the Kansas City Chiefs had been the AFC’s bully for the better part of a decade. Or the Chiefs had knocked Houston out of the playoffs last year. Or that the Texans needed to win to keep pace with Jacksonville in the AFC South.

“It was our next game,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We needed to come out and execute. Play good football. And we did.”

Did enough, anyway.

C.J Stroud threw for 203 yards and a touchdown, the Texans leaned on the NFL’s top-ranked defense to shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and Houston walked out with a 20-10 victory that gave a big boost to their postseason hopes.

Nico Collins contributed four catches for 121 yards, and Dare Ogunbowale added a go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as the Texans (8-5) won their fifth straight overall and remained a game back of the Jaguars in a tight division race.

“We did what we came to do,” Ryans said. “It was just about accomplishing your mission. It wasn’t anything extra on top for winning this game. We just knew we had to get the win no matter what it took.”

Mahomes, operating behind an ailing offensive line, was 14 of 33 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. The last of the picks came late in the fourth quarter, when Kansas City was trailing by a touchdown and trying to get the game to overtime.

“I thought our defense did a great job sticking in coverage, and relentlessly rushing,” Stroud said. “An amazing job.”

While the win gave a big boost to Houston’s playoff chances, whether it be a division title or wild-card spot, it dealt a crippling blow to the defending AFC champs. Kansas City dropped to 6-7, its worst record through 13 games since a 2-11 start to the 2012 season.

“You’re getting late in the season. You’re not going to get these opportunities back,” Mahomes said. “That’s a good football team, but we had chances and we didn’t execute at the right time to win it.”

The Chiefs had won five straight against the Texans, including that divisional playoff matchup last January on their way to another Super Bowl appearance. But they were two different teams entirely when they returned for the rematch Sunday night.

The streaking Texans were trying to keep their momentum going, and perhaps join a rare club of teams that includes Houston’s 2018 version that started 0-3 and made the playoffs. And the once-dominant Chiefs were simply trying to stay in the postseason fight amid a dismal season marked by injuries, underwhelming performances and too many mistakes across the board.

The first half turned into a microcosm of all of it.

Stroud, who played so well against Indianapolis last week in his return from a concussion, connected with Collins for a 46-yard gain that set up Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field goal and a 53-yard catch that led to a short touchdown toss to Woody Marks.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs sustained two more significant injuries, this time to left tackle Wanya Morris and cornerback Trent McDuffie, leaving them without their best defensive back and Mahomes working with an offensive line consisting of three backups.

“Listen, they battled,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said afterward. “Some of the guys in there hadn’t practiced much.”

Still, the Chiefs wound up with just 98 first-half yards, and they trailed 10-0 at the break. It was only the fourth time with Mahomes at quarterback and the second time in the regular season that the Chiefs had been shut out in the first half.

The Chiefs’ defense held its own, though, forcing Stroud into eight consecutive incompletions to start the second half. It allowed Mahomes and the offense to pick away at their deficit, first on Kareem Hunt’s TD run and then on Harrison Butker’s tying field goal.

Ultimately, the game hinged on two fourth-down decisions in the fourth quarter.

With the score still 10-10, the Texans had fourth-and-1 at their own 35 and punted. The Chiefs were then held to fourth-and-1 at their own 31, chose to go for it, and watched Mahomes throw incomplete with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Six plays later, Ogunbowale plowed into the end zone from 5 yards out to give Houston the lead again.

The Chiefs failed on fourth down again moments later, when Rashee Rice dropped a wide-open pass that would have produced a first down. And after Kansas City got the ball back one last time, Mahomes was picked off to end any hope of a comeback.

“We’ve still got an opportunity. Even though it’s a slim opportunity, we have an opportunity,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “For us, the door is still open. It might be a 10 percent chance. It might be a 5 percent chance. But as long as we have an opportunity and a chance, we can control that, and let the cards fall where they fall.”

Injuries

Texans: RB Nick Chubb (ribs) left in the first half and did not return.

Chiefs: RG Trey Smith (ankle) and RT Jawaan Taylor (triceps) were inactive. Morris (knee) and CB McDuffie (knee) got hurt in the first half, leaving Kansas City with a patchwork offensive line and without its best defensive back.

Up next

Houston plays the Cardinals next Sunday.

Kansas City plays the Chargers the same day.