The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Houston Texans in Week 16, and there was plenty to take away from the Saturday afternoon contest.
The Kansas City Chiefs faced the Houston Texans in a playoff game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, pitting two teams who had already punched their playoff tickets. For the most part, the game lived up to expectations, with the incumbent champions claiming yet another triumph.
Kansas City won 27-19, thanks to a competent offense and enough defensive stops, to improve to 14-1 on the season. This not only helps the Chiefs prepare for the big dance, but it also increases their chances of securing the crucial top overall seed.
With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Assessing how Patrick Mahomes looked on a high-ankle sprain
In another late-season development, Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle injury in Week 15’s victory over the Cleveland Browns. Kansas City held him out of the rest of the game out of prudence, which proved to be the correct decision. The two-time MVP received positive news about the severity of the injury and practiced at full capacity all week. Given the go-ahead to play with a sprained ankle, Mahomes didn’t appear particularly hampered.
Mahomes tried his mobility early in Saturday’s game, rushing for 12 yards on a third-and-13 and then sprinting for a 15-yard touchdown on Kansas City’s first drive. His ability to prolong plays and plant with torque was still visible, even with both ankles bandaged and spatted. While Mahomes did not have a particularly impressive statistical day, he did a fine job of moving behind a patchwork offensive line and made some confident throws. Overall, this effort should be mostly inspirational with the playoffs approaching.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is going to make a difference on offense
In the same vein as Mahomes, the Chiefs received good news this week when wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown increased his practice participation. After recovering from a sternoclavicular injury sustained in August, the prized free agent signing was a full participant every day for the first time this season. This resulted in his being activated on Friday, paving the way for his regular-season debut. If one thing is obvious, he will play a role in the team’s plans down the stretch.
Brown’s statistical production, like DeAndre Hopkins’ debut earlier this season, did not even come close to reaching its potential. Mahomes underthrew him on one play, and on another, he threw the ball too far upfield on a play where Brown appeared to hesitate. It would have most likely been a touchdown if everything had gone well. Brown still managed to make his presence felt, though, hauling in five catches for 45 yards. Two of his early receptions came on late downs, demonstrating his ability to influence key plays. Brown’s presence on the field will benefit Mahomes, as well as other pass catchers such as Travis Kelce and youngster Xavier Worthy, moving forward. He won – and won frequently – on Saturday, leaving space for development.
Will the real Chiefs defense please stand up?
Since CB Jaylen Watson suffered an ankle injury early this season, the Kansas City defense has been in an odd situation. The pass rush labored over the next few weeks, while cornerback coverage options such as Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams faltered. Last Sunday’s triumph in Ohio saw both sides of the defense improve, however the results for Week 16 were uneven.
In the secondary, Johnson and Williams had ups and downs and both Trent McDuffie and Jaden Hicks recorded interceptions for the second game in a row. Players like George Karlaftis and Mike Danna generated occasional pressures but considering the quality of the offensive line faced, the overall reliability up front wasn’t what many expected. The duality of the defense on third downs was also interesting. Entering Week 16, Spagnuolo’s crew ranked 19th with a 39.5% conversion rate allowed. In half No. 1, Houston went 5-for-8 (63%) and responded with a 2-for-5 (40%) clip in the final two frames. There are likely still questions about the viability of this defense after facing a middling offense, which is fair, but a strong second half helped.
Kansas City is closing in on the AFC’s No. 1 seed
Kansas City was 13-1 entering Saturday’s game, with two- and three-win leads over the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers for the top spot. Win number 14 of the year ties a current franchise record (2020 and 2022) for a single season, eliminating Pittsburgh from contention for the elusive first-round bye. It is now down to just the Chiefs and the club that upset them in Week 11.
According to NBC’s in-game broadcast, Kansas City’s chances of earning the one-seed increased to 89% with their victory. Buffalo isn’t completely out of the running due to an easy closing schedule (New York Jets once and New England Patriots twice), but if Andy Reid’s team just takes care of business in Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, it will secure the bye. The same could be said if Buffalo merely lost to New England on Sunday afternoon, regardless of what Week 17 brought. Despite losing to their conference opponents early this season, the Chiefs kept some wiggle room, which is finally paying off as the regular season comes to a close.
