Kansas City Chiefs (1) – Houston Texans (4) : 23-14
There are three inevitable things in life: death, taxes and Chiefs playoff victories. Without being impressive, by gaining much fewer yards than the opponent, the Chiefs won the divisional game against the Houston Texans. The victory was based on three pillars: Patrick Mahomes (16/25, 177 yards, 1 TD), Travis Kelce (117 yards, 1 TD) and the defense (8 sacks) in the wake of George Karlaftis (3 sacks) radiant.
CJ Stroud (19/28, 245 yards) was good, and carried his team with the help of Nico Collins (81 yards), but it was not enough to win. His line suffered and made more mistakes, hampering the squad’s progress. The defense gradually disappeared, leaving Kansas City to take control.
Football is a sport played eleven against eleven, and in the end it is the Chiefs who win. Until when? That’s the whole question.
The key moment: the field goal blocked by Leo Chenal
As the Texans throw their last strength into the battle, the special teams make the difference. Léo Chenal blocks the Texans’ field goal to confirm the Chiefs’ victory. If this action is not necessarily that of victory, it represents the domination of the Chiefs in the details, this ability to be efficient in the three phases of the game. Kansas City is a complete team, and this is terrifying for the opponents.
The MVP: Travis Kelce (TE, Chiefs)
Great players are impactful in big matches. Invisible during the regular season, Travis Kelce came out of the box in the playoffs to give his team victory. Author of 117 yards and a touchdown, he became the only player in history with 9 games over 100 yards in the playoffs, better than Jerry Rice! As always, he will be a centerpiece of the Chiefs attack at the start of the year.
The flop: the Texans offensive line
If CJ Stroud had a good match, it was not thanks to his line. The squad was dominated from start to finish by the Chiefs, and never managed to anticipate the attacks of the opposing defenders. This is certainly the main project for the Texans next year, who cannot play for the title with such weakness. Eight sacks is too many!
The stat: 82 yards of penalties for the Texans
To win a playoff game, you need discipline. Every mistake is paid for in cash. By committing 82 yards of penalties compared to 24 for the Chiefs, the Texans planted a big thorn in their side. With a little more control in the evening, there was room to win this match. A lesson to remember for next season. The Chiefs only had 29 penalty yards, that’s a big difference.
-Movie you match :
The match begins with a fiery action, a 63-yard return from Nikko Remigio, which gives the Chiefs a field goal. But the rest of the match is much less offensive and spectacular. The defensive lines dominate, like Will Anderson Jr (2 sacks) for the Texans and Chris Jones for the Chiefs. It is therefore logically a festival of field goals, and an unfortunate miss for Kai’ri Fairbairn (6-3).
It is ultimately the inevitable Travis Kelce who unlocks this match, with a 49-yard reception which proves that great players are present in big matches. Kareem Hunt takes care of scoring the touchdown on the ground, and Kansas City takes a nice lead. Full of will, CJ Stroud once again pushes his team forward who reduces the score a little before half-time (13-6).
The Texans have their backs against the wall, but CJ Stroud has resources. After a 15-play, 82-yard drive, Joe Mixon (100 yards, 1 TD) thinks he can tie the two teams. But Fairbain misses another kick, and Houston remains slightly behind (13-12). Hope has just been born among the Texans, two men will take care of destroying it. Patrick Mahomes finds Travis Kelce for an almost impossible touchdown to throw (20-12).
The Texans attack cannot respond, as the line suffers. George Karlaftis is on fire, and the Chiefs take advantage of winning the field battle and score a field goal. Eleven points ahead, a lead too big for Houston who lost (23-12). Technically, Houston will score 2 more points on a voluntary safety, but that doesn’t change anything.
And now ?
The Chiefs are in the conference finals, like every season and as expected. But the still average performance does not reassure, and we will have to show a much better face against the Ravens or the Bills, depending on who emerges victorious in the match of the week. The return to the highest level of Travis Kelce still remains the great news of the evening.
For the Texans the season remains good, with another qualification for the playoffs and one more victory to gain experience. Average during the season, CJ Stroud seems to have found himself, which bodes well for the future.
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