Surging Chiefs beat Texans for record-matching win & home perfection: report card
The Chiefs completed their first undefeated season at home since 2003 with a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The last time the Chiefs went 8-0 at Arrowhead was 2003. Their other perfect home seasons: 1971 (7-0), 1995 and 1997.
By improving to 14-1, the Chiefs matched their most victories in the regular season — also accomplished in 2020 and 2022.
Here’s our post-game report card and a quick look at the Chiefs’ next game:
KC STAR OF THE GAME
For the second straight game, cornerback Trent McDuffie gets the nod. His second interception in two weeks came toward the end of the first half and led to a Chiefs field goal. He also recorded two tackles for loss, disrupting C.J. Stroud’s short passes.
Next: The Chiefs’ whirlwind schedule continues on Wednesday — Christmas Day — when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff is noon (Central Time). The game will be broadcast by Netflix and KCTV (Channel 5) in Kansas City.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: B
Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy seemed to be favoring his right ankle as he left the field at halftime. But he came back strong after the break and was the key player on a third-quarter touchdown drive that he capped with an 8-yard reception.
Patrick Mahomes had his misses and once again finished with a passer rating below 100 (93.5). But he’s gone five straight games without an interception, throwing eight touchdown passes in that stretch.
The longest play of the game: a 36-yard swing pass to RB Samaje Perine that caught the Texans off-guard. They paired for a 16-yard gain on Mahomes’ final completion to seal the game.
Rushing offense: B
Brutal sequence for the offensive line and Isiah Pacheco early in the third quarter. Twice the Chiefs couldn’t pick up 1 yard from midfield and turned it back over to the Texans.
That might not have mattered, but the choice of Pacheco over Kareem Hunt there was curious. Hunt seems to have more success in short-yardage situations, and he plowed in from the 3 for his first rushing touchdown in seven games.
Hunt led the Chiefs with 55 rushing yards and a 5-yard average Saturday.
KC’s first touchdown drive was kept alive, and finished, with runs by Mahomes — a pair that totaled 27 yards. So much for the injured ankle.
Passing defense: B
The takeaways continued for the Chiefs, who came up with a pair of first-half interceptions. Safety Jaden Hicks was in the right spot when Stroud airmailed a pass to end the Texans’ first possession. McDuffie got the next one. The best part for the Chiefs: The offense responded to both, getting a touchdown after the first one and field goal the second time.
Otherwise, Stroud had a good day with 244 yards and two touchdowns in his first game against the Chiefs. He entered the game having been sacked 45 times, second most among NFL quarterbacks. But the Chiefs didn’t get credit for a sack in this one until Mike Pennell chased Stroud out of bounds in the fourth quarter.
Then, cornerback Joshua Williams all but ended the Texans’ hopes with a late 12-yard sack on a Steve Spagnuolo blitz.
Rushing defense: B
The Houston offense was mostly Stroud’s strong arm, but Joe Mixon pulled off a couple of nice runs, including a 22-yard gain. The Texans finished with 84 rushing yards.
Special teams: A
After missing a field goal last week at Cleveland, Harrison Butker got back on track with a 44-yarder late in the first half. He also took back kickoff duties from safety Justin Reid, who had subbed in for him during the previous two games.
A nice effort from kick return specialist Nikko Remigio, who averaged nearly 26 yard per touch.
This story was originally published December 21, 2024 at 3:20 PM.