Here are four things that stood out in Chiefs' loss to Texans
Chiefs have now lost four of the last five games
There were common themes out of One Arrowhead Drive over the past week of being one play away and high optimism of getting things back on track in Week 14.
The Chiefs knew what was at stake entering Sunday night’s game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Well, none of the optimistic themes happened as the Chiefs fell to 6-7 after a 20-10 loss at home.
And some of the self-inflicting wounds that plagued the Chiefs throughout the season continued to show its head.
Oh, let us count the ways:
There were dropped passes
Missed field goal by Harrison Butker
An absent running game from actual running backs
An inability to convert third-down opportunities – Chiefs were a dismal 4-of-14 (29%) in that department
Chiefs were penalized five times
Even quarterback Patick Mahomes wasn’t immune to mistakes, as he threw three interceptions in the game en route to completing just 14-of-33 passes for 160 yards for a career-low 19.8 passer rating.
It’s no wonder the Chiefs stuck it to themselves yet again and have now lost four of the last five games to put themselves in a precarious position for the playoffs.
Here are four things that stood out:
SHORT DECK
The offensive line was an issue heading into Sunday night’s game, as the Chiefs were without their starting tackles.
Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons (wrist) landed on injured reserve early in the week after surgery, while right tackle Jawaan Taylor (triceps) was inactive after being designated as doubtful on Friday’s injury report.
The Chiefs felt good with their backup plan, which featured Jaylon Moore at right tackle and Wanya Morris at left tackle.
Then, Morris went down with a knee injury on the Chiefs’ first play of the game and was later ruled out.
This meant rookie Esa Pole entered the game as a backup to the backup at left tackle.
Not exactly an ideal scenario.
The Texans harassed Mahomes throughout the game, recording two sacks, eight quarterback hits and nine quarterback pressures.
The Chiefs also played without starting right guard Trey Smith (ankle) for a second straight game. Smith originally suffered the injury in Week 12.
GOING FOR IT?
Chiefs coach Andy Reid has shown aggression throughout the season by going for it on fourth down.
The team has been successful, too, ranking among the leaders with an incredible 80.7% conversion rate entering Week 14 action.
But maybe Reid should have exercised caution on fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs’ own 31-yard line early in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 10-10.
Mahomes’ short pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice fell incomplete, which turned the ball over on downs to the Texans with 10:22 minutes remaining in the game.
“I thought we could get it, that was the decision,” coach Andy Reid told reporters. “I was confident we could do that. It’s important that you take advantage of opportunities, I thought it was an opportunity. I was wrong, no?
“I mean hindsight, it was wrong. We’ve been pretty good on fourth downs. I messed that one up.”
Houston pounced on the opportunity to work with a short field and to take some precious time off the clock in a tight defensive battle.
The Texans marched down the field on a six-play, 31-yard drive, which was capped off by running back Dare Ogunbowale’s 5-yard touchdown run, and consumed 3:22 off the clock.
Houston’s touchdown put them up 17-10, and then the Chiefs once again turned it over on downs on their next possession, followed by Mahomes’ third interception of the game on the Chiefs’ second to last possession of the contest led to a Texans’ field goal for the final 20-10 score.
The Chiefs finished the game converting 1-of-3 chances (33%) on fourth down.
DON’T BLAME DEFENSE
There’s no doubt Sunday night produced an ugly performance from Mahomes and Co.
But the same can’t be said for the Chiefs defense.
Yes, there was a bad result on a third-and-17 situation, but the Chiefs limited the Texans to 268 total yards of offense.
Kansas City’s defense also forced the Texans to punt after four straight three-and-out possessions.
“I thought defensively we played a very sound football game, especially that second half, Chris Jones and (Nick) Bolton leading the way,” Reid told reporters. “There was some fine football there, but we just need to take advantage of it offensively and we weren’t able to do that.”
It was the defense that kept the Chiefs in the game throughout Sunday night.
The offense, however, didn’t hold its end.
STREAK IS OVER
The Chiefs’ domination in the AFC West officially came to end Sunday night.
Mathematically, the Chiefs entered the weekend with an outside chance to secure perhaps a 10th straight division crown being four games behind the Denver Broncos with five games to go.
But that depended on the Chiefs winning out and a Broncos loss.
Well, that’s not happening anymore because the Broncos improved to 11-2 after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in the day. And the Chiefs at 6-7 are now a full five games back with four remaining games on the schedule.
The next streak that could come to an end is an 11th straight trip to the postseason.
Yes, the Chiefs can still get there if – and a big “if” when considering how this team has looked over the past month doesn’t exactly inspire confidence – they win out.
But then the Chiefs will need a lot of outside help when considering they’re chasing the likes of the Buffalo Bills (9-4), Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4), Los Angeles Chargers (currently 8-4 and play Monday night), Indianapolis Colts (8-5) and Texans (8-5).
The only team from the playoff-hopeful group that the Chiefs defeated this season are the Colts.
Kansas City hosts the Chargers in Week 15, so there’s an opportunity to at least close the gap between them.