Houston
Texans
2-1
36
FINAL
42
Kansas City
Chiefs
2-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Divisional Round matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Houston Texans 42-36, securing their spot in the AFC Championship. This win was crucial for the Chiefs as they aimed to continue their pursuit of another Super Bowl title, while the Texans fought hard to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Patrick Mahomes showcased his elite talent, throwing for an impressive 428 yards and six touchdown passes, further solidifying his status as one of the league's premier quarterbacks. Jeff Caldwell was a standout target, racking up a jaw-dropping 314 receiving yards, demonstrating an unbreakable connection with Mahomes throughout the game. Meanwhile, Ashton Jeanty led the Texans in rushing but managed only 44 yards as the Chiefs' defense focused on containing the run.
On the defensive side, the Chiefs made pivotal plays that turned the tide in their favor. Aaron Donald was a force, registering 1.5 sacks and applying constant pressure on the Texans' offense. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Kansas City’s defense held strong, ultimately forcing a turnover on downs that sealed their victory and sent them to the next round. The combination of Mahomes' offensive onslaught and a resilient defensive effort proved too much for Houston to overcome.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 27 | 17 | 63% | 428 | 6 | 3 | 106.6 |
| C.J. Stroud | QB | 27 | 16 | 59% | 265 | 0 | 0 | 92.3 |
| Tyquan Thornton | WR | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Jeanty | HB | 12 | 44 | 3.7 | 56 | 1 | 41 | 0 |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 4 | 31 | 7.8 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Kenneth Walker | HB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jeff Caldwell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Caldwell | WR | 8 | 314 | 39.3 | 54 | 4 | 65 | 0 |
| Matthew Golden | WR | 4 | 97 | 24.3 | 20 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| Ashton Jeanty | HB | 6 | 89 | 14.8 | 60 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Xavier Worthy | WR | 3 | 68 | 22.7 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 2 | 49 | 24.5 | 7 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| Kenneth Walker | HB | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 15 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Omari Evans | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Rashee Rice | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| A.T. Perry | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tyquan Thornton | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamari Lassiter | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Zack Baun | WILL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Donald | DT | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riq Woolen | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Jones | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sheldon Rankins | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry To'oTo'o | WILL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelvin Joseph | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Micah Parsons | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Marcus Ingram | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L'Jarius Sneed | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Deonte Banks | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaiir Elam | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nohl Williams | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marte Mapu | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Anderson Jr | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Drue Tranquill | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fabian Moreau | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | K | 5 | 5 | 3 | 38 |
| Harrison Butker | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |

