The Chiefs’ hopes for the NFL’s first three-peat are nonetheless alive.
For the Texans, in the meantime, exiting the divisional spherical stays insurmountable.
Kansas City outlasted Houston 23-14 within the AFC divisional spherical on Saturday and advances to its seventh straight convention championship recreation. Next weekend, the Chiefs will host the winner of Sunday evening’s recreation between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.
With Saturday’s loss, the Texans fell to 0-6 within the divisional spherical.
Here’s what we discovered in regards to the Chiefs and the Texans on Saturday:
Leaders: We can discuss why the Bills look so sturdy this season, with Josh Allen taking part in out of this world. We can focus on how the Ravens look completely different this 12 months as a result of they’ve Derrick Henry to take the strain off Lamar Jackson. In the NFC we will take a look at the potential of the Lions (even with a decimated protection) or the Eagles.
But make no mistake: These Chiefs ought to nonetheless be Super Bowl favorites.
They confirmed why in Saturday’s divisional spherical win on two fronts: 1) their elite protection and a couple of) the Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce connection, which is (nonetheless) inevitable. It’s the identical components that gained them the Lombardi Trophy final season.
Steve Spagnuolo’s protection operated at a excessive stage towards the Texans, each with four-man fronts and blitzes. The Chiefs sacked quarterback CJ Stroud eight occasions with six completely different gamers: George Karlaftis (3), Chamarri Conner (1), Charles Omenihu (1), Chris Jones (1), Felix Anudike-Uzomah (1) and Tershawn Wharton ( 1). It’s notable as a result of Kansas City wasn’t precisely a dominant pass-rushing group through the common season. According to Next Gen Stats, the Chiefs ranked 18th in strain and sack price (tied), fifteenth in strain and twenty second in sack price. All-Pro defensive deal with Chris Jones had simply 5 sacks, his lowest whole since 2016, when he was a rookie. The power of those leaders all year long has been in protection.
Maybe take the Texans’ safety overwhelm with a grain of salt — Stroud was the second-most sacked quarterback through the common season, in spite of everything — however Kansas City taking part in so dominant upfront within the greatest recreation of the 12 months (up to now) makes hope effectively for the convention championship recreation. Momentum is a really actual factor in soccer.
Then, on offense, Mahomes and Kelce labored their magic, as we have seen too many occasions to depend lately. Mahomes accomplished seven of his eight targets towards Kelce, who had 117 receiving yards and a landing within the fourth quarter (on a drop throw by Mahomes). Kelce’s 49-yard catch-and-run within the second quarter additionally arrange the Chiefs’ first rating.
This 12 months’s Kansas City group is similar to final 12 months’s in that it is not all the time fairly. With the divisional spherical concluded, the Chiefs have but to attain greater than 30 factors this season. Apparently, the Chiefs of the primary Mahomes period, when a extra “enticing” kind of soccer was performed, are lengthy gone.
But Kansas City has punctured this new DNA.
This is a carryover from final season.
Texans: Houston wants to return to the drafting board on offense.
Yes, the offensive line wants work. Stroud was sacked a career-high eight occasions on Saturday (common season and playoffs), persevering with a pattern of poor go safety within the common season. But the Texans’ issues go a lot deeper.
They scored simply 14 factors of their greatest recreation of the season. Before final week’s wild-card win over the defense-led Chargers, they hadn’t reached 30 factors since mid-November. Scoring was certainly one of a number of key offensive metrics through which they ranked common or beneath common. This is along with the execution and playcalling points which have arisen all year long.
Many of those points had been current even when Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs had been wholesome, however Houston may also have to determine the way forward for the receiver room. The timing and nature of Dell’s devastating knee damage in Week 16 places his 2025 season in jeopardy. Diggs, who turns 32 subsequent season, shall be an unrestricted free agent. Nico Collins is a official No. 1 huge receiver and Dalton Schultz is a top quality pass-catching tight finish, however the Texans will want extra to assist Stroud, who is just not proof against the Texans’ offensive issues in 2024.
Houston has had a championship-caliber protection this season and the trajectory of the unit beneath the management of DeMeco Ryans ought to stay constructive. But if the Texans cannot discover a method to take a giant offensive step ahead in 2025, they are going to stay one step beneath groups just like the Chiefs, Ravens and Bills within the AFC.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He beforehand labored for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, the place he was Titans beat the author for a 12 months and a half. It coated the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for 3 seasons (2018-20) earlier than shifting to Tennessee. You can comply with Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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