The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans, 23-14, to advance to the AFC Championship for a seventh-straight year on Saturday night. Tight end Travis Kelce hauled in seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, while the defense racked up eight sacks on Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud.
“I’m proud of our guys for how they handled [the game],” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “We knocked a little rust off, and everybody stayed positive and with each other…Here we sit [in the] championship game, [and] we’re [humbled] to be in that position.”
The final score represented a nine-point advantage, but the game was close throughout much of the contest. The tipping point took place early in the fourth quarter when the Chiefs were leading by just one point and facing a third down in the red zone. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kelce, extending Kansas City’s lead to eight points.
“That touchdown was unbelievable,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “That was incredible for [Patrick] to be able to get his body in position to make that throw. I thought [it] was great.”
Mahomes completed 16-of-25 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown, leading the Chiefs to his 16th career postseason victory as a starting quarterback. Those 16 wins are tied with Joe Montana for the second-most in NFL postseason history, trailing only Tom Brady (35).
The Chiefs’ defense was equally impressive, racking up eight sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Four of those sacks took place on either third or fourth down.
“The gameplan that went into it was great,” said defensive end George Karlaftis, who recorded three sacks on Saturday. “We talk internally about rushing under an umbrella of discipline – the front half working with the back half. When all of that stuff happens, success usually follows.”
The Chiefs will now await the winner of Sunday night’s matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills to see who Kansas City will host in the AFC Championship Game.
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