The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to their seventh consecutive AFC Championship game. After over three weeks of rest, the Chiefs starters returned to action and paved the way to a 23-14 win over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round.
The Chiefs continue their quest for the first Super Bowl three-peat in NFL history. After some key performances on the gridiron, let’s look at some takeaways from Saturday’s win.
Travis Kelce’s Playoff Domination Continues
Throughout this season, much noise has been made about Travis Kelce being “washed.” However, he silenced all the doubters on Saturday with a monster performance. Kelce hauled in seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
The star tight end adds to his historic playoff resume, becoming the second player in NFL history with 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in the postseason, joining Jerry Rice. However, his 117 yards surpassed the all-time great receiver in 100-yard playoff receiving games.
Kelce continues to show up when the Chiefs need him most and shows everyone that he still has a lot left in the tank. Patrick Mahomes said it best after the game, telling Lisa Salters, “You know 8-7 is going to show up in a big-time moment. Everyone is asking where Travis Kelce is at? He showed the world where he’s at.”
Patrick Mahomes is Inevitable
Despite the offense showing some signs of rust, Mahomes continues to make highlight plays. After a long touchdown drive to open the second half, Kansas City’s lead was cut to 13-12.
With a score needed from the offense, Mahomes pulled out the magic once again, throwing a dart to Kelce for a touchdown, while being brought down. Another insane throw to add to his (lengthy) highlight reel.
MAHOMES THROWS THE TD TO KELCE WHILE FALLING TO THE GROUND ð³
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â ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2025
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Mahomes improves to 7-0 in the Divisional Round, boasting an impressive 2,013 total yards and 17 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Despite not playing his best game, Mahomes stepped up and made a play when the offense needed to deliver.
Chiefs Pass Rush Steps Up
Going into the matchup, the Chiefs’ defense got a major boost in the secondary with the return of Jaylen Watson, but it was the pass rush that stole the show.
The KC defense finished with a pressure rate of over 51 percent, finishing with eight sacks and 14 quarterback hits. George Karlaftis played the best game of his career, recording three sacks and 4 hits on C.J. Stroud.
Chris Jones and Charles Omenihu made their impacts known with a sack each. With Watson’s return in the secondary, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could be more aggressive with the blitz. Spags drew it up and made it difficult for Stroud to make his mark when it mattered most.
With the pass rush’s massive performance, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie locked down Houston’s star receiver Nico Collins. McDuffie held him to one catch for 24 yards on three targets.
The Special Teams Battle
All three phases have been catalysts in Chiefs games this season, including the special teams. On Saturday, the special teams battle was dominated by Kansas City.
To open the game, Nikko Remigio set the tone with a 63-yard kickoff return to set the offense up deep in Houston territory. This led to Harrison Butker connecting on his first of three field goals in the game.
As for the Texans, they struggled. Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a field goal in the first half and followed it up with a missed extra point that would’ve tied the game in the third quarter.
However, the biggest play came late in the game. Houston looked to cut the deficit to eight to give themselves a chance with an onside kick, but Dave Toub’s unit said not today.
For the second time this season, Leo Chenal broke through the line and blocked a field goal, crushing any last hope for the Texans.
CHIEFS BLOCKED THE FIELD GOAL TO KEEP THE LEAD AT 11 𤯠pic.twitter.com/MtndLDCi3e
â ESPN (@espn) January 19, 2025
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Kansas City’s key plays on special teams and consistency from Butker dominated a Houston unit that faltered from the start.
Conclusion
Andy Reid picks up his 300th career win, becoming the fourth coach in NFL history to reach that mark. The Chiefs dominated the final 15 minutes of the game, made plays when it mattered most and got support at every level.
The referees made some suspect calls that went Kansas City’s way, and folks will have their opinions made on social media, but those penalties did not decide this game.
The focus shifts to next week with a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs are one win away from their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six years.
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