They did it again. Despite not looking like a very overwhelming team at really any point this season, the Chiefs have muscled their way to a seventh straight AFC championship game after a 23-14 win over the Texans. It was a sloppy game, but that's nothing new for the 2024-25 Chiefs. Long gone are the days of chunk plays en masse with the Legion of Zoom. This team is playing a style of football that hasn't produced a lot of statistical success recently outside of the most important statistic: wins. Kansas City deserves respect for getting to the AFC title game (again) with a 16-2 overall record, but their actual performance left some doubt out on whether or not they have what it takes to beat the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills in the the next round.
And that's what they'll have to do to continue their quest for the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history.
On a play-by-play basis, the Chiefs’ offense just had one of their worst games of the entire season. According to TruMedia, their success rate of 37.7% was their third-lowest mark of the season (excluding the Week 18 game with almost no starters). Kansas City’s problems along the offensive line were exacerbated by an aggressive Texans defensive line, led by Will Anderson, who had two sacks and three tackles for loss. The Chiefs were able to survive by getting some heroic moments from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, but overall they did not play well on a consistent basis, particularly in the first half where they had a 34.6% success rate. With some help from special teams and the defense, the Chiefs were able to build a 13-6 halftime lead that they never relinquished.
"This is unreal. I tell the fans the same thing. We're very lucky to have [Mahomes] here," head coach Andy Reid said after the game. "The stuff he's doing just doesn't happen. That's why he's the greatest for doing what he's done in a relatively young career here."
It does feel like the Chiefs’ supporting cast has whittled down to just seeing what plays Mahomes can make in impossible odds. He did deliver, especially when he threw his lone touchdown of the game to Kelce as he was being sacked and falling down. Luckily, those few key plays from Mahomes were all the Chiefs needed, because their defense played up to the standard they set in 2023, rather than where they fell in 2024. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud fought hard, but the Chiefs were able to amass a whopping eight sacks on him. In the fourth quarter, the Texans were held to a 28.6% success rate and only converted four first downs. A touchdown and a field goal in the final frame were all the Chiefs needed to put this one on ice.
The big caveat here is that the Texans are not up to par with Buffalo and Baltimore. Houston had one of the worst offenses in the league this year, while Kansas City's next opponent is guaranteed to be one of the elite units in the NFL. It's going to be significantly more difficult next week, and the Chiefs were just sloppy enough in their game against the Texans to leave some doubts about where they stand going into the AFC championship game. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and Bills QB Josh Allen are going to put up a tougher fight than the Texans' beleaguered offense did.
Even acknowledging that they face a greater challenge next week, it's impossible to ever fully count this team out. As long as Mahomes is under center and Andy Reid is under the headset, the Chiefs have a chance to make something happen. There's no reason to say that this team can't get back to, and win, another Super Bowl — just that it looks more precarious than ever.
(Now, watch Mahomes throw for 350 and five touchdowns next week as an act of righteousness against this article.)