Texans’ defense stifles Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs to win fifth straight game

In an era where an explosive offense is the key to success, “Sunday Night Football” was a masterclass in the defense of both the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.

However, TexansThe league's number one defender showed why they are leading the way this season with a 20-10 away win.

This game was huge for both teams in the playoffs, with the Texans now sitting at 8-5 after winning their fifth straight game, while the Chiefs fell below .500 at 6-7 with just four games remaining on the schedule.

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Kansas City, winner of three straight AFC championships, now ranks 10th in the conference and has only a 16% chance of making the postseason.

It didn't matter how hostile the environment was or the fact that the Chiefs treated this game like it was the playoffs. Houston's defense performed as it has done week after week, and it started right away in this game.

Patrick Mahomes And the Chiefs offense ran just 14 plays on its first three drives, all of which ended in punts. Mahomes then intercepted a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster while Jalen Pitre jumped over the route, deflected the pass and managed to find him in the air to pin the ball to his chest as he fell to the ground.

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Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense, a group that struggled in the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium last year, have done well in their first few trips despite the pressure.

After scoring the first points of the game with a field goal on his second try, Stroud orchestrated a 90-yard march down the field for the game's first touchdown, a nine-yard pass to rookie running back Woody Marks to make the score 10-0. The key play on the drive was a pass on second-and-7 after escaping pressure as Nico Collins opened up for his quarterback and made a 53-yard catch that put the Texans in great position in the red zone.

With the half ending 10-0, the Texans had to know that Mahomes and the Chiefs would exit the game in the third quarter. This does not mean that they were completely prepared for this.

After Mahomes made a three-and-out, something finally worked as the Chiefs drove eight plays and 56 yards for their touchdown. It was Kareem Hunt who broke Danielle Hunter's tackle behind the line on a fourth-and-1 play at the goal line. Hunt hit the shot and it was a new ball game.

The Chiefs tied the game on Harrison Butker's 36-yard field goal, but the score remained unchanged at 10–10 as both teams continued to put in fantastic defensive efforts.

However, the turning point in this contest came when the Chiefs decided to go greedy on fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line. Andy Reid always trusted Mahomes to get the job done, but he was unable to do so as his pass to Rushey Rice remained incomplete.

Houston turned things around and they made it work in their favor.

Stroud made a stunning play on third-and-3 as Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who had already sacked him on that play, raced for another. Stroud worked to his right, eluding Jones, and struck Jayden Higgins to extend the attack.

A few plays later, Dare Ogunbowale, who rarely sees the field except on special teams, scored from five yards out after Marks left the game after a hard hit.

With the score now 17-10 in Houston's favor, Mahomes and the Chiefs were even more desperate as the clock continued to tick. But once again they failed to get the job done, falling behind in the fourth as Rushy Rice threw what looked like a good ball that could have kept the drive alive.

The deciding play was Mahomes' third Texans interception, when he threw the ball behind his trusty tight end Travis Kelce. Although the pass could have been caught, Kelce struggled to intercept it and it hung too much as linebacker Aziz Al-Shaair caught it to turn the field over again.

Marks made the crucial first down on the next drive and the Texans were running down the clock until Kaimi Fairbairn buried the final dagger as his field goal ended the Chiefs' last hope for the game.

On the box side, Mahomes had a brutal performance, going 12 of 30 for 131 yards and three picks. He was also the team's leading rusher on the ground with 59 yards on seven carries.

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For the Texans, Stroud was 15-of-31 for 203 yards and one touchdown, and Collins finished with four for 121 yards on his eight targets. Marks also had 65 yards on 24 carries.

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