Once the NFL playoffs start, the Kansas City Chiefs always find a way to win, and once again, that was the case on Saturday during their 23-14 divisional round playoff win over the Houston Texans.
The Chiefs didn’t force a single turnover and they got outgained by 124 yards (336-212), but they still managed to come away with the win. The victory made them the FIRST team in NFL postseason history to win a game where they got outgained by at least 100 yards while forcing zero turnovers, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Going into the weekend, NFL teams were 0-49 in that situation in the playoffs, but thanks to Kansas City’s win, that now jumps up to 1-49.
Although the Texans were able to pile up yardage on offense, they just couldn’t finish their drives, which is how they ended with just 14 points despite gaining 336 yards. The Texans had two separate drives in the game where they came away with zero points despite moving the ball more than 40 yards. In the first half, they had a 43-yard drive that ended with a missed field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn. In the second half, they had a 53-yard drive that ended with the Chiefs blocking a Fairbairn field goal attempt.
The Chiefs defense also held Houston to just one touchdown on three trips to the red zone, so although the Texans were moving the ball, they just couldn’t score. It also didn’t help the Texans that C.J. Stroud got sacked seven times.
As for the Chiefs offense, the starters hadn’t played together since Dec. 25 and that definitely showed. Patrick Mahomes threw for just 177 yards in a game where the offense totaled 212 yards. Travis Kelce was the only bright spot of the game for Kansas City, catching seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
The Chiefs’ offensive numbers also took a hit at the end of the game when punter Matt Araiza lost 18 yards while purposely taking a safety on Kansas City’s final offensive play of the game. Of course, even if that play didn’t happen, the Chiefs still would have been outgained by more than 100 yards.
It’s fitting that the Chiefs made history in this win, because this postseason is all about making history for them. The Chiefs are gunning to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls, and now they’ve taken one step closer to making that happen.
The Chiefs are now headed to the AFC Championship game for the seventh straight season where they’ll host either the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills.