The Houston Texans defense frustrated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night, winning 20-10. It was the first time in Mahomes' nine-year career that he had a game with three interceptions and no touchdown passes, and it was also the first time he failed to score more than 10 points.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the best team in the NFL for going on a decade now, but this year has been a complete disaster. Always good in the clutch — they were 12-0 in one-score games last year on their way to the Super Bowl — the Chiefs suddenly can't find a way to win at all any more.
The Chiefs lost to the Houston Texans 20-10 on Sunday night, and it was their fourth loss in the past five weeks. They are 6-7 now, the first time they've been below .500 in December since 2012.
They also fell five games behind the Denver Broncos, ending their hopes of winning another AFC West title. They had won nine division crowns in a row.
The Texans' No. 1-ranked defense frustrated Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes all night. He threw three interceptions and passed for only 160 yards. It was the first time he had three interceptions in a game since December of 2022.
Here's the game story from Chiefs Roundtable writer Bob McCullough.
The Chiefs — who have played in the past three Super Bowls, winning two — are on the outside looking in right now in the AFC playoff race, which is an odd sight in mid-December.
Kansas City hasn't missed the playoffs since 2014 — and hasn't had a losing season since 2012. According to The Athletic's playoff tracker, they only have a 16 percent chance of making the playoffs.
Mahomes was just 14-for-33 passing and his 42.4 percent completion rate was,the lowest of his nine-year career. The Chiefs' 10 points were also their fewest in any home game, regular season or playoffs, with Mahomes as the starter.
A rare sight, to be sure.
“You're getting late in the season. You're not going to get these opportunities back,” Mahomes told reporters after the game. “That's a good football team, but we had chances and we didn't execute at the right time to win it.”
The Texans have now won five games in a row
Here's what the Chiefs have left
Dec. 14 (Sun.) — Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-7), 1 p.m. ET. TV: CBS.
Dec. 21 (Sun.) — Kansas City Chiefs (6-7) at Tennessee Titans (2-11), 1 p.m. ET. TV: CBS
Dec. 25 (Thurs.) — Denver Broncos (11-2) at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. ET. Streaming: Amazon Prime Video.
Jan. 3/4 (Flex) — Kansas City Chiefs (6-7) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-11), TV: time TBA
Texans getting hot at right time
The Texans have now won five games in a row, making their 3-5 start a distant memory. Getting past the Chiefs is a big deal, because Kansas City had won five straight in the series — including a playoff game last year. But Texans coach Demeco Ryans said it was more about staying focused on the game at hand, and getting the job done.
“We did what we came to do,” Ryans said. “It was just about accomplishing your mission. It wasn't anything extra on top for winning this game. We just knew we had to get the win no matter what it took.
“It was our next game. We needed to come out and execute. Play good football. And we did. The defense did an outstanding job. This (Chiefs) offense has done a great job for years, but we made big plays on third down and fourth down all night long. It was relentless effort by our defense.”