Instant Chiefs grades: Mahomes’ excellence overcomes fumbles, leaky defense and Butker
The Chiefs averted disaster with a 30-24 triumph in overtime Sunday against the Houston Texans.
The outcome at Houston’s NRG Stadium improved the Chiefs’ record to 11-3 and clinched the AFC West for the seventh straight year. Now, it’s about playoff position for the Chiefs.
When the Chiefs didn’t score on their first possession in the extra period, their defense came up with a huge play — Frank Clark stripped the ball from Houston quarterback Davis Mills and Willie Gay Jr. came up with the contested fumble recovery. Then Jerick McKinnon scored the game-winner on a 26-yard run on the next snap.
Whew.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
The Chiefs had many problems, but Patrick Mahomes wasn’t one of them. He completed his final 20 passes, finished 36 of 41 for 336 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown. He was playing in his home state of Texas and helped pull the Chiefs out of the fire.
Next: The Chiefs will be home for the first time in a month as they take on the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday at noon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs have won 15 straight against NFC opponents, and Seattle is the only team Mahomes hasn’t defeated as a starting quarterback (0-1).
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: B
As good as Mahomes was, there were a few issues.
Isiah Pacheco missed picking up a blitzing linebacker, leading to an 11-yard sack of Mahomes in the first quarter. Mahomes dropped a low snap from Creed Humphrey and got body-slammed. No penalty was called. And a couple of deep balls didn’t connect, one to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and another the Justin Watson. JuJu Smith-Schuster lost a fumble after a reception and, for the second time on a takeaway, the Texans cashed in with a touchdown.
But Mahomes was money, completing all of his passes after halftime.
Rushing offense: B
The Chiefs waited a while to engage their ground game, throwing almost exclusively on their first two drives — two possessions that produced no points. When they finally turned to the run game against the NFL’s 32nd-ranked rushing defense, the offense loosened up.
On Pacheco’s second-quarter fumble, it appeared he never had full control of the ball. The mistake cost him playing time. He didn’t get a snap for the rest of the first half (he returned in the third quarter). McKinnon worked hard throughout the game both running and receiving, and Mahomes made big contributions to the running game, too.
Passing defense: D
No sooner did CBS announcer Kevin Harlan say the Texans were 0-for-28 on third-down plays with 11 yards or longer to go did Davis Mills completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Aikns for a touchdown. The entire sequence was a disaster for the Chiefs, starting with Smith-Schuster’ fumble. The Texans’ scoring drive was kept alive by defensive penalties on third down.
The officiating crew led by Carl Cheffers, not a favorite of Chiefs fans, flagged the usually disciplined Kansas City team 10 times for 102 yards. The Chiefs entered the game leading the NFL in batted balls at the line of scrimmage. They got three Sunday, two by defensive end Carlos Dunlap — including a late one on third down that had the Texans settling for a field goal that tied the game at 24-24.
Rushing defense: D
Houston was without its top offensive player, running back Dameon Pierce, who went on IR in the week leading up to Sunday’s game. They managed to spread out their carries among both quarterbacks and running backs and collected 93 yards on the ground. Davis Mills had plenty of open field on a 17-yard touchdown run that gave Texans 14-7 lead.
Special teams: F
What can you say about Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker? His season went off the rails with an injury in the Chiefs’ season-opening game, and he’s now having his worst season as a pro on both extra points and field goals. The extra-point miss on Sunday was his third this season, and he also missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt with 12 seconds remaining. That gaffe assured overtime.
This story was originally published December 18, 2022 at 3:41 PM.