The Houston Texans shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday at Arrowhead, relying on the NFL’s top-ranked defense for a 20-10 victory as CJ Stroud rushed for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Nico Collins had four catches for 121 yards and Dare Ogunbouere added the game-winning touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Texans (8-5) won their fifth straight game overall and maintained a game lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.
Operating behind a struggling offensive line, Mahomes was just 14-of-33 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, his last interception coming late in the fourth quarter when Kansas City was leading by a touchdown and trying to force overtime.
The win greatly improved Houston’s chances of making the playoffs, whether it was for the division title or a wild card spot, but it was a devastating blow to the defending AFC champions. Kansas City went 6-7, its worst record through 13 games since the 2012 season, when it started 2-11.
The Chiefs had won five straight against the Texans, including a district playoff matchup last January when they were looking to make another Super Bowl appearance. But when they returned for the rematch Sunday night, they were a completely different team.
Leader in statistics:
texans
Passing: CJ Stroud, 15/31, 203 yards, 1 TDR Rushing: Woody Marks, 26 carries, 68 yards Receiving: Nico Collins, 4 catches, 121 yards
chiefs
Patrick Mahomes, 14/33, 160 yards, 3 INTs Rushing: Patrick Mahomes, 7 carries, 59 yards receiving: Xavier Worthy, 3 catches, 55 yards
The thriving Texans will look to keep that momentum going, perhaps joining a rare club of teams that includes the 2018 version of Houston that started 0-3 and made the playoffs. And the once-dominant Chiefs were just trying to stay in postseason contention during a disastrous season filled with injuries, underwhelming performances and far too many mistakes overall.
The first half was a microcosm of it all.
Stroud played well last week against Indianapolis after returning from a concussion, connecting with Collins for a 46-yard gain to set up Kaimi Fairbairn’s field goal and a 53-yard catch that led to a short touchdown toss to Woody Marks.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs suffered two more serious injuries, this time to left tackle Wanya Morris and cornerback Trent McDuffie, leaving them without their best defensive back, leaving Mahomes to work with an offense made up of three backups.
Kansas City gained 98 yards in the first half and led 10-0 at halftime, but it was the fourth time Mahomes was the quarterback and the second time in the regular season that the Chiefs were shut out in the first half.
However, the Chiefs’ defense was tenacious, forcing Stroud into eight consecutive incompletions before the start of the second half. This allowed Mahomes and the offense to overcome the deficit, first with a touchdown run by Kareem Hunt and then with a game-tying field goal by Harrison Butker.
In the end, the game hinged on two fourth downs in the first quarter.
With the score still 10-10, the Texans made it a 4-and-1 at their own 35 and punted. After that, the Chiefs, trailing 4-1 with 31 points on their own, opted to go for it and watched Mahomes throw an incompletion with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Six plays later, Ogunbouyere scored into the end zone from five yards left to give Houston the lead again.
The Chiefs missed another fourth down shortly after that when Laci Rice dropped a wide-open pass that would have resulted in a first down. Then, after Kansas City got the ball back one last time, Mahomes was ejected, ending any hopes of a comeback.
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