The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Houston Texans, 20-10, on Sunday night in a game that in many ways mirrored the season as a whole.
Tied at 10 points apiece early in the fourth quarter, Kansas City – facing a 4th-and-1 at its own 31-yard line – elected to roll the dice and go for it, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes' pass fell incomplete, and Houston took over with excellent field position that it didn't waste.
The Texans broke the tie soon after when tailback Dare Ogunbowale plowed ahead for a 5-yard touchdown, and while Kansas City possessed the ball two more times – down seven points – with a chance to match Houston, the Chiefs couldn't seize the opportunity.
"You're not getting these opportunities back," Mahomes said. "That's a good football team, but we had chances and we didn't execute at the right time to win it."
The result spoiled an excellent performance by the Chiefs' defense, especially in the second half. Houston raced out to a 10-point lead through the first two quarters of play, but following halftime, the Texans gained just one first down (and 17 net yards) on their first five second-half possessions.
That performance left the door open for the Chiefs' offense, which put together an eight-play, 56-yard scoring drive on their opening series of the third quarter. Mahomes found wide receiver Hollywood Brown for a 35-yard completion on the first play of the drive, eventually setting up a 2-yard touchdown plunge by tailback Kareem Hunt on fourth down.
Kansas City then knocked a 36-yard field goal through the uprights two possessions later, knotting the game at 10 points apiece as the fourth quarter got underway. The Chiefs' defense quickly forced a punt soon after, and facing a 3rd-and-6 at their own 42-yard line, Kansas City – if it could convert – looked to be in a position to potentially put together a go-ahead scoring drive. Mahomes' pass was intercepted, however, and Kansas City didn't advance the ball any closer to Houston territory (when the game was still within reach) the rest of the night.
That's not to say that Kansas City didn't have its chances though, and despite the pick, Houston quickly punted on its ensuing possession. The Chiefs turned the ball over on downs on each of their next two drives though, and once Houston took the lead on Ogunbowale's touchdown run, the Texans never looked back.
It was a disappointing conclusion to a game that otherwise featured some impressive individual performances on both sides of the ball, notably along the Chiefs' offensive line, where Esa Pole – an undrafted rookie free agent – played all but one snap at left tackle. Pole, who came in for the injured Wanya Morris, allowed just three total pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps.
Kansas City's defense, which held Houston to just 268 yards of offense, also played a large chunk of the game without All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, thrusting rookie corner Nohl Williams into a career-high 62 snaps.
The play of individuals like Pole and Williams kept the Chiefs in the game when things seemed like they could have gotten out of hand, but – as the case has been all too often this year – Kansas City ultimately came up just short in a game that could have gone either way.
"I know we're not winning games, but that mindset that these guys have in this locker room – even in the games we're not winning – you can never question the fight of this team," Mahomes said. "Obviously, we're not executing at the highest level at the right moments and we're not making those plays, but at the end of the day, you'll never question that. I think you'll see that for these last four weeks."
In terms of injuries, Morris (lower leg) and McDuffie (hyperextended knee) were the two players who left Sunday's game early.
The Chiefs will now turn the page toward a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium this upcoming Sunday.
