Here’s how Kansas City Chiefs distributed playing time in Week 15 win over Texans
The Chiefs escaped Houston with a 30-24 overtime win over the Texans at NRG Field.
But on paper, the game shouldn’t have been close.
The Chiefs had the edge in total yards (502-219), first downs (33-18), offensive plays (76-58) and time of possession (37:22-27:25), yet needed the extra period to come away with a victory.
Two turnovers, which the Texans turned into touchdowns, 10 total penalties and a sluggish offensive start will adversely affect a team, though.
“Just all around a good fight,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game. “We’ve got to do better in the penalty area, turnover area. We’ve got to make sure we fix this. We’ll get back on that. The important thing is we won the game, and they’re tough to get in this league.”
The Chiefs improved to 11-3 with the win and clinched the AFC West for a seventh straight season.
Here’s how the Chiefs’ snap counts worked out in Week 15:
QUARTERBACKS: Patrick Mahomes (77), Chad Henne (did not play)
Mahomes rebounded from a three-interception performance in Week 14 with a magnificent game against the Texans.
He completed 36 of 41 passes (87.8%) for 336 yards and two touchdowns for a 117.1 passer rating. He also rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown on five carries in Sunday’s win.
Mahomes’ 87.8 completion percentage established a new franchise record for highest completion percentage in a single game, breaking Alex Smith’s previous mark of 86.36%.
Sunday also marked Mahomes’ ninth 300-plus-yard passing game of the 2022 season.
RUNNING BACKS: Jerick McKinnon (48, 10 on special teams), Isiah Pacheco (27, 6 on special teams), Ronald Jones (2), fullback Michael Burton (1, 16 on ST)
McKinnon is on a two-game tear. A week after totaling 134 yards (112 receiving) and two touchdowns, McKinnon produced 122 total yards (70 receiving) and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 26-yard touchdown run in overtime.
Pacheco totaled 97 yards (86 rushing), but he lost a fumble late in the second quarter. The Chiefs then didn’t utilize Pacheco in the two offensive series to close out the first half. Pacheco eventually returned in the second half, but he has now fumbled four times this season, losing two.
Jones had a single carry for 6 yards.
As a team, the Chiefs took advantage of facing Houston’s leaky run defense by producing 189 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries (5.7 yards per attempt).
WIDE RECEIVERS: JuJu Smith-Schuster (68), Justin Watson (50, 2 on ST), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (41), Skyy Moore (29), Kadarius Toney (5, 5 on ST)
Smith-Schuster once again led the position group with 10 catches for 88 yards, but he lost a fumble.
Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown, while Moore contributed 12 yards rushing on two carries.
Watson was targeted twice but didn’t record a catch. He and Mahomes just missed on a deep throw, which might have gone for a touchdown if the two connected.
Toney made his return to action after missing three games with a hamstring injury, but the Chiefs might have had him on a snap count. Toney produced a catch for 6 yards and two punt returns for 8 yards in limited action.
TIGHT ENDS: Travis Kelce (58), Noah Gray (43, 17 on ST), Jody Fortson (12, 14 on ST)
Kelce recorded a team-high 105 yards receiving on 10 catches. He currently has 10,150 career yards receiving, which passes Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe (10,060) for the fourth-most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history.
Gray contributed three catches for 33 yards, while Fortson was targeted once in the end zone.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Trey Smith (77, 4 on ST), Creed Humphrey (77, 4 on ST), Orlando Brown Jr. (77, 4 on ST), Andrew Wylie (77, 4 on ST), Joe Thuney (77), Lucas Niang (1, 4 on ST), Nick Allegretti (4 on ST), Prince Tega Wanogho (4 on ST)
When the running game is pounding out 189 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per carry, the offensive line is doing its job.
The protection also kept Mahomes clean for the most part, allowing just two sacks and three quarterback hits.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Frank Clark (44), Chris Jones (40), George Karlaftis (32, 5 on ST), Mike Danna (31, 6 on ST), Khalen Saunders (30, 4 on ST), Carlos Dunlap (30), Derrick Nnadi (24, 5 on ST), Brandon Williams (20)
Clark produced the game-changing play by forcing a fumble on Texans quarterback Davis Mills in overtime. Clark also led the position group with five tackles, including one for a loss, and produced the Chiefs’ lone sack in the game.
Dunlap produced three tackles, two quarterback hits and two passes defensed, while Saunders had a good all-around game with four tackles and a batted down pass at the line of scrimmage.
LINEBACKERS: Nick Bolton (63, 5 on ST), Willie Gay Jr. (46, 1 on ST), Leo Chenal (27, 23 on ST), Darius Harris (9, 12 on ST), Jack Cochrane (19 on ST)
Bolton produced a team-high seven tackles and two quarterback hits. Gay recovered a fumble in overtime and finished the game with four tackles.
Chenal’s 27 defensive snaps are a season high for the rookie, and he finished the game with five tackles, including one for a loss.
Cochrane notched a tackle on special teams, while Harris notched a tackle on defense and contributed an assist on special teams.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: L’Jarius Sneed (63, 1 on ST), Juan Thornhill (63, 1 on ST), Justin Reid (62, 1 on ST), Trent McDuffie (63, 5 on ST), Jaylen Watson (26, 12 on ST), Joshua Williams (16, 13 on ST), Bryan Cook (9, 18 on ST), Chris Lammons (23 on ST), Deon Bush (1, 20 on ST), Nazeeh Johnson (9 on ST)
Reid and Sneed each recorded six tackles, while Reid added a quarterback hit and a pass defensed against his former team.
Thornhill, McDuffie, Williams and Cook each recorded a tackle in the game.
As a unit, the Chiefs’ defensive backs helped limit the Texans to 129 total yards passing in the game.
Lammons and Johnson each recorded an assist on special teams.
SPECIALISTS: Harrison Butker (9), Tommy Townsend (8), James Winchester (8)
Butker didn’t have his best game, missing a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal near the end of regulation and an extra point. He has now missed three extra-point attempts in 2022.
Townsend had four punts for 193 yards, including a 57-yard effort, and averaged 48.3 yards per punt. Two of his kicks landed inside the Texans’ 20-yard line to help flip field position.
INACTIVES: Quarterback Shane Buechele, offensive lineman defensive end Joshua Kaindoh, defensive end Malik Herring, tackle lineman Geron Christian, offensive lineman Darian Kinnard
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 7:30 AM.
