The Kansas City Chiefs had a golden opportunity ahead of them on Sunday. With a win over the lowly one-win Houston Texans, the Chiefs could clinch the AFC West for the seventh straight season. Kansas City finally got there, but it was a much more difficult feat than anyone expected.
The Texans drove the Chiefs into overtime, where Kansas City needed a Jerick McKinnon touchdown run to clinch a 30–24 victory and clinch the division.
The Chiefs may have ended the contest in exciting fashion, but the team seemed sluggish early in the game. The Chiefs got off to a slow offensive start, punting on their first two drives. On the Texans’ third drive of the game, the team went on a six-minute, 11-play touchdown drive to take the lead. Patrick Mahomes was able to tie things up on the next drive, connecting with McKinnon on a 20-yard TD pass.
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Houston Texans on Jerick McKinnon’s touchdown run in overtime on December 18, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Chiefs forced a punt on the Texans’ ensuing drive and it looked like the tables were turning for Kansas City. But on the next offensive play, Isiah Pacheco fumbled. The Texans rallied and scored two plays later to take a 14-7 lead. Mahomes led the Chiefs to another score before halftime, but Harrison Butker missed the extra point. The Chiefs trailed 14-13 at the half.
Chiefs force overtime after tough first half vs. Texans
Kansas City came out in the third quarter as if it had found the missing piece at halftime. Mahomes led a 10-play drive that stalled at the 8-yard line. Butker connected on a field goal, putting the team up 16-14. After forcing another punt by the Texans, the Chiefs again looked ready to break things up.
Once again, those hopes were dashed by a fumble. This time, JuJu Smith-Schuster was the culprit. Mahomes hit Smith-Schuster on a 6-yard pass at the Texans 42-yard line. Smith-Schuster fumbled, and the Texans got it back. Houston then went on a seven-play scoring drive to go up 21-16.
Mahomes refused to let the fumbles drive the Chiefs away. He responded on the next drive, running for a touchdown to cap a nine-play drive. The Chiefs were successful on the two-point conversion, going up 24-21.
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With the game on the line, Houston ate nearly seven minutes in a 15-play drive. The team managed to get into field goal range late in the drive and hit a game-tying field goal with five minutes to go.
Mahomes tried to put together a final game-winning drive to end the quarter, but Butker missed a 51-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime.
The Chiefs’ offense continued to struggle on the first series of overtime. The team punted after gaining 36 yards in seven plays. A score by the Texans would end the game.
On Houston’s first offensive play in overtime, Davis Mills fumbled while fetching. The Chiefs got the ball back at the 26-yard line. Needing only a field goal to win, the Chiefs opted to run the ball to give Butker a chip shot. On the first play, McKinnon broke through the Texans’ defense, activating the Jets for a 26-yard touchdown run to give the Chiefs the win.
Chiefs avoid loss, which could have led to big changes in AFC playoff race
The win helps keep the Chiefs in the race for the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC and moves the team to 11-3, the same record as the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo defeated Kansas City in week 6 and has tiebreaker criteria, so the Chiefs would need the Bills to lose a game for Kansas City to secure home field advantage during the playoffs.
The win also ensures the Chiefs will retain at least a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Had Kansas City lost, it would have risked losing the second-seeded position to Cincinnati, which has the tiebreaker over the Chiefs after a win over Kansas City in Week 13.
Kansas City remains in line for a first-round bye thanks to McKinnon’s overtime heroics. While the team struggled to beat the Texans, Mahomes still put up solid numbers, passing for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes also ran for a touchdown, keeping him in the MVP conversation for another week.
Mahomes’ biggest competition for the award, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 315 yards and two interceptions and rushed for 61 yards and three touchdowns in a 25-20 win over the Bears in week 15. .
Source: news.google.com