NFL

NFL Divisional Round Fans Respond To Kansas City Chiefs’ Defense Pounding Houston Texans

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The Kansas City Chiefs may not have performed like back-to-back Super Bowl champions Saturday and many NFL fans voiced their displeasure over at least three questionable officiating calls that went against the Houston Texans, but result was  

The result? 

Leaning on a strong defensive performance and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass to record-setting tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs sacked the Texans, 23-14, at a chilly GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. 

The Chiefs advanced to their seventh consecutive AFC championship game and will face the winner of Sunday’s Baltimore Ravens/Buffalo Bills matchup. 

Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who became the fourth coach to win at least 300 games, will coach in his 12th conference final, one shy of Bill Belichick’s all-time mark. 

Despite the incomplete effort Saturday, the Chiefs improved to 10-1 in their last 11 home playoff games and 7-0 in their past seven playoff outings when played in weather that was 32 degrees or colder. 

X (Twitter) users responded to the Chiefs’ defensive pressure on Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was sacked eight times … 

Dapper Mahomes dresses for success. Entering Saturday, the Chiefs’ quarterback was 15-3 in 18 career playoff games, registering 41 touchdowns and eight interceptions …   

 Stroud warmed up Saturday, eager to help the Texans capture an evasive road playoff game. After being sacked eight times, Stroud could not lift the Texans, who fell to 0-5 all-time in road playoff games … 

 The pregame flyover … 

The Texans got off to an inauspicious start. Following Texans’ Nikko Remigio’s 63-yard opening kickoff return, Kris Boyd executed a tackle and forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Samaje Perine. But Boyd was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for throwing his helmet. En route back to the sideline, Boyd aggressively shoved special teams coach Frank Ross. The Chiefs eventually settled for Harrison Butker’s 32-yard field goal … 

 Following a field goal by the Texans on their opening possession, a questionable roughing call on defensive end Will Anderson Jr. enabled the Chiefs to gain a first-and-goal situation. They again settled for a Butker field goal, this time from 36 yads out. 

After Houston placekicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal attempt badly, the Chiefs marched down the field and scored on running back Kareem Hunt’s 1-yard touchdown run, lifting the Chiefs to a 13-3 lead with 4:56 left in the first half. Despite the 10-point advantage, the Chiefs’ offense struggled once they hit the red zone. On six plays inside the Texans’ 20-yard line, the Chiefs netted negative 11 yards.   

 Starting with the Anderson call, social media users started going crazy over a series of calls that appeared to favor the Chiefs. “#Rigged” started trending on X (Twitter) after this questionable roughing call … 

And this non-call hip tackle … 

 And on this play where two Texans defenders collided into each other harder than Mahomes … 

Despite the unfavorable calls, the Texans opened the second half with a 15-play, 82-yard drive that lasted 10:24 and was capped by Joe Mixon’s 13-yard TD run. Fairbairn missed the point-after attempt … 

With girlfriend Taylor Swift in attendance sitting next to WNBA star Caitlin Clark, Kelce notched an 11-yard score on a play Mahomes kept alive under pressure. It proved to be the winning score … 

Did Kelce impress Swift, a pop singer, with his record? … 

 This is how the game went for Stroud on key downs. When the Chiefs needed a stop, they seemed to get it … 

 The Texans’ last great hope to win Saturday was blocked … 

 Final score: Chiefs 23, Texans 14 … 

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Jeff Hawkins
Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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Author photo
Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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