The Kansas City Chiefs dropped another close one on Sunday, falling to the Houston Texans by a score of 20-10.

Here are some quick notes from the loss.

1. The Chiefs' defense turned in an outstanding second half and gave Kansas City a chance to win the game.

Kansas City's defense was terrific on Sunday, particularly in the second half. The Chiefs held Houston to just one first down (and 17 net yards) on its opening five possessions of the third quarter, providing the Chiefs' offense with multiple short fields and an opportunity to tie the game.

The man right in the middle of that collective effort was defensive tackle Chris Jones, who racked up a season-high eight total pressures on the night. Defensive end Ashton Gillotte (5), defensive end George Karlaftis (5), linebacker Nick Bolton (3) and linebacker Drue Tranquill (3) each recorded multiple pressures on the night, too. Those players all combined to generate a pressure rate of 65.7% on Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Chiefs still yielded an 8-for-18 mark on third down, several of which ended up mattering quite a bit in the end, but all things considered, Kansas City's defense certainly gave the Chiefs every opportunity to win the game.

2. Rookie offensive lineman Esa Pole stepped up in a big way when called upon.

The Chiefs, who were already without three of their starters along the offensive line heading into Sunday's game, lost reserve left tackle Wanya Morris on the first snap of the contest, further intensifying an already dire situation.

The circumstances thrust Esa Pole, an undrafted rookie free agent, into the first regular-season action of his career, and against one of the top pass-rushes in the league, no less.

It had all the makings of a rough evening up front, but instead, Pole turned his impromptu audition into a performance worth remembering. He yielded just three pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps throughout the game, none of which ended in a sack.

It was a remarkable performance that bodes well for his future, to say the least.

3. Once again, as the case has been in all six of the Chiefs' other losses this year, it all came down to a couple of plays.

The Chiefs rallied to tie the game after falling behind by 10 points in the first half, but after scoring on two of its first three possessions to open up the third quarter, Kansas City didn't pick up a first down on its next four drives.

In fact, each of those possessions essentially ended with a turnover, as the Chiefs committed two interceptions and two failed fourth-down attempts across those four drives.

The Chiefs' second series in that sequence, specifically is where the game turned. Kansas City elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 from its own 31-yard line with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, and the gamble failed. Houston took over with great field position that it didn't waste, and the Texans never looked back.

Kansas City still had multiple chances to tie the game, however, and – in what was essentially a microcosm of the season overall – the Chiefs couldn't seize those opportunities.

4. Drops in critical moments ultimately proved to be the difference.

Drops, as a statistic, are recorded differently depending on where you look, but regardless of the source, the Chiefs tallied far too many on Sunday night.

Next Gen Stats, for example, had the Chiefs with five drops, marking Kansas City's most in a game started by Patrick Mahomes since Week 11 of the 2023 season. Pro Football Focus also recorded five drops for Kansas City on the night, the Chiefs' most (by PFF's metrics) since Week 9 of the 2022 campaign.

It was an uncharacteristic performance that ended up costing the Chiefs in the end.

5. Here's the Chiefs' path to the postseason with four games remaining.

The Chiefs' situation is certainly not ideal, but their postseason hopes remain alive. The most plausible path now involves the following:

• Kansas City wins its remaining four games (vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders)

• Indianapolis loses at least two of its remaining four games and does not win the AFC South (at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans)

• In addition to losing to the Chiefs next week, Los Angeles will need to lose at least two of its other three remaining games (at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos) with one of those losses taking place to the Broncos (due to tie-breakers).

• The Chiefs will also need to avoid a three-way tie at 10-7 with the Ravens and Steelers, as Pittsburgh would win the tiebreaker over Kansas City. Kansas City will need to avoid a multi-team tie that involves the Colts and Dolphins, too.

It's a lot to think through, but for the Chiefs, it really boils down to taking care of their own business. Kansas City can put a significant dent into this potential path with a win over the Chargers on Sunday, and that's exactly what the team will need to remain focused on over the next several days.