Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs (NFL Divisional Round Playoffs)
1ST QUARTER
15:00 ON THE CLOCK: The kick return from the Chiefs from Nikko Remigio goes all the way to the 30 yard line as he spins and dodges tackles. Even though the ball comes free, it is retrieved by the Chiefs to set up a first down. The opening drive for the Chiefs had to be settled as a field goal from 32 yards, as Patrick Mahomes was unable to find Hollywood Brown on third down. The Chiefs lead 3-0.
13:21 ON THE CLOCK: CJ Stroud has the ball in his hands for the first time. He finds Joe Mixon on 2nd & 5 for the first down. The next play Stroud runs back out of the pocket into open space and floats it to Dalton Schultz who makes the catch and runs within the 35 yard line. Another third down as Stroud finds Nico Collins with a good catch within the 15 yard line. Despite not being able to convert anything on third down, the Texans answered the opening score from the Chiefs immediately with a field goal to tie the game.
7:00 ON THE CLOCK: A 3rd & 8 with Mahomes looking to throw down field, unable to find a Chiefs player. Saved by a flag thrown for roughing the passer as Will Anderson Jr. catches Mahomes on the head as he goes for the tackle. A 1st & 10 follows as Travis Kelce catches for a gain of around 20 yards. A few plays later, Xavier Worthy with a quality spinning catch for the 1st & GOAL. A trick play with a dummy pass then passed to Worthy is stopped almost immediately in its tracks by Anderson Jr. The 3rd & GOAL is also no good as the Chiefs get the 3 points from a field goal by Harrison Butker. Texans 3-6 Chiefs.
1:47 ON THE CLOCK: CJ Stroud is sacked on third down by cornerback Jaylen Watson. A great and possibly crucial stop by the Chiefs defense in the few remaining minutes of the opening quarter.
2ND QUARTER
11:22 ON THE CLOCK: The Texans start another drive as Stroud hands the ball off to Joe Mixon who runs with the ball going through two tackles to get the first down. The Texans QB runs with the ball himself out of the pocket and for around a 30 yard gain and the first down. Although, the hard work from the drive is undone on third down as an explosive stop by Charles Omenihu gives CJ Stroud virtually no time to make a play. The field goal followed from 55 yards by Ka’imi Fairbairn was wide of the mark and never fully got going as it left his foot.
6:52 ON THE CLOCK: Kansas City on their own 45 yard line, where Mahomes throws to a wide open Travis Kelce who brushes past a tackle and tries to stiff arm his way to the touchdown but Henry To’oTo’o stops him at the 6 yard line. The 3rd & GOAL opportunity is taken as Mahomes hands the ball to Kareem Hunt who uses Travis Kelce as a shield as he drives into the endzone for the TD. The Chiefs extended their lead to 13-3.
3:16 ON THE CLOCK: A catch on 3rd & 3 from John Metchie puts the Texans just past midfield. Metchie is then found again a few plays later with a great catch in between two diving Chiefs defenders with an inch perfect throw by Stroud. The Texans QB is then sacked on second down with Dare Ogunbowale trying to make as much ground as possible on 3rd & 23 but can only reach the 48 yard line. The field goal from 48 yards is good by Fairbairn. This narrowed the game to within 7 points of each other at the half.
HALF TIME - HOUSTON TEXANS 6 - 13 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
3RD QUARTER
13:08 ON THE CLOCK: A positive start to the second half by the Texans with positive runs from Joe Mixon and CJ Stroud along with clutch catches from Dalton Schultz and Nico Collins on 3rd downs put Houston just inside the 30 yard line. A 2nd & 14 thrown to Xavier Hutchinson as he dives for the first down with a great effort. The Texans QB1 runs again on 3rd & 6 and makes the first down as he dives and gets hit in the process. Then on the 15th play of the drive lasting over 10 minutes, Joe Mixon is handed the ball and finds a path to make his way through the Chiefs defense for the touchdown. However, the extra point is no good, so only 6 points from that drive. Texans 12-13 Chiefs.
4TH QUARTER
15:00 ON THE CLOCK: Kansas City on a crucial 4th & 1 which they choose to run rather than kick, which turns out to be the right one as Kareem Hunt bears the tackles and forces himself into first down territory. The 10th play of the drive sees Kelce get a big gain on the play as he moves his way into the 10 and almost 5 yard line. A 3rd & GOAL has Mahomes scrambling and diving as he is tackled but gets the ball out of his hand before hitting the ground. Somehow he finds the pass to Travis Kelce in the endzone for the touchdown. The partnership of Mahomes & Kelce strikes again to give the Chiefs a lead of 20-12.
7:00 ON THE CLOCK: The Chiefs have the ball again on the 42 yard line, passed off to Kareem Hunt who gets a gain of around 11 to get the first down. The next play sees Hunt once again run and break tackles before he is stopped just after getting the first down. A crucial tackle as he would have been away for a touchdown if not stopped. Mahomes then finds Worthy again on 3rd down but is short so the Chiefs elect to go for the field goal. The extra 3 points never in doubt from Butker as the Chiefs lead 12-23.
4:38 ON THE CLOCK: Houston needs to make this drive count as time starts to run out, which is not off to the best start as Stroud is sacked for the 5th time, this time by George Karlaftis. Then the 3rd & 5 is thrown perfectly into the hands of Hutchinson to give the Texans life. A consecutive third down finds Schultz from Stroud for another first down. The next play sees another Stroud pass find Collins who again catches well for the first down. However, Karlaftis is there again to sack the Houston QB on 3rd & 10 on the 13 yard line. The 35 yard try by Fairbairn is then blocked as his game is summed up in that last kick. The Chiefs recover the ball. Game over.
FINAL SCORE - HOUSTON TEXANS 14 - 23 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
