The Chiefs Are Experts In Demoralization

On paper, the Houston Texans outperformed expectations. They ran more plays than the Kansas City Chiefs, possessed the ball for longer, were better on third down, and had more total yards. The defense harried quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and after halftime the offense put together a 10-minute drive to score a touchdown to put the score within one. Ultimately, none of this mattered. Houston would have lost by double digits on Saturday if not for an intentional safety by the Chiefs at the end of their 23-14 divisional-round victory, sending them to a seventh straight AFC title game.

Neither team lost a fumble or threw an interception, but the Texans still made a few costly mistakes. Kansas City's Nikko Remigio returned the opening kick 63 yards, and afterward Houston's Kris Boyd was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the Chiefs a red-zone appearance within 13 seconds of the game. The normally reliable Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed an extra point and a 55-yard field goal try, and had another FG attempt blocked. Houston seemed to be facing a second opponent in the play clock, and on one occasion, a rushed fourth-and-10 call was doomed before it could really develop, resulting in a 16-yard sack of Texans QB C.J. Stroud. Early in the first quarter, he came up limping after a run, and he became easier to hit. Stroud threw for 245 yards as he absorbed eight total sacks.

Although the Texans pass rush did an admirable job, Will Anderson Jr. especially, the coverage always seemed to be lacking right when the Chiefs needed a first down. (Houston's chances weren't helped by a couple of suspect roughing-the-passer penalties called in favor of Mahomes.) Kansas City head coach Andy Reid didn't have to break out some ingenious offensive scheme, because Mahomes regularly found Travis Kelce wide open in the middle of the field. Houston's defense effectively shut down big plays to wide receivers, so the Chiefs quarterback opted to find his reliable tight end instead. Kelce finished the game with seven catches, 117 yards, and a touchdown thrown by a falling Mahomes that gave K.C. a 20-12 lead. Even in a one-possession game with plenty of time in the fourth quarter, you got the queasy feeling that this one was over.

That's been the experience of watching the Chiefs in the past couple years, especially this season. Even if the wins have been tighter than usual, they always feel in control. Even when they're behind, no deficit feels insurmountable with Mahomes navigating the offense. They don't commit many errors, and when they do, they find a way to mitigate the damage. An opponent can keep Mahomes off the field, but that just means contending with Chris Jones and the rest of the fearsome defense. Their creepy kicker looks like a boss from Far Cry 5; I have nothing complimentary to say about him.

There was a time when I appreciated the methodical greatness of Kansas City, from the perspective of watching a football team at the height of its powers, and surely in the future I'll return to appreciation. But right now, it's deeply annoying to watch. It's not like Mahomes is putting up Big 12 numbers—he had 177 total passing yards in yesterday's win. This is a down year for him statistically, and he's still cooking the competition. The Chiefs are two wins away from a threepeat, and the team likeliest to prevent that, the Detroit Lions, exited the playoffs already. Good luck to anyone else trying to stop this train.