Chiefs’ playoff hopes dwindle as Patrick Mahomes throws three interceptions in loss to Texans

In an epoch wherever explosive discourtesy is cardinal to success, "Sunday Night Football" was a antiaircraft masterclass by some the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.

However, the Texans, the fig 1 defence successful the league, showcased wherefore they’re apical of the heap this play successful a 20-10 triumph connected the road.

This crippled had monolithic playoff implications for some teams, arsenic the Texans are present 8-5 aft winning their 5th consecutive game, portion the Chiefs autumn beneath .500 astatine 6-7 with lone 4 games remaining connected the schedule.

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C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans looks to walk the shot against the Kansas City Chiefs during the 3rd 4th astatine Arrowhead Stadium connected Dec. 7, 2025 successful Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Kansas City – winners of 3 consecutive AFC championships – present sits 10th successful the league and faces conscionable a 16% accidental of reaching the postseason. 

It didn’t substance however hostile the situation was, oregon the information that the Chiefs were treating this crippled similar it was the playoffs. Houston’s defence delivered arsenic it has week aft week, and it started instantly successful this one.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ discourtesy ran lone 14 full plays connected their archetypal 3 drives, each of which ended with punts. Then, Mahomes threw an interception connected a walk intended for Juju Smith-Schuster, arsenic Jalen Pitre jumped the route, deflected the walk and managed to find it successful the aerial to unafraid the shot to his thorax arsenic helium deed the ground.

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Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offense, a radical that struggled successful the playoffs astatine Arrowhead Stadium past year, did good successful the eyes of unit connected their archetypal fewer drives.

After securing the archetypal points of the crippled with a tract extremity connected their 2nd drive, Stroud orchestrated a 90-yard march down the tract for the game’s archetypal touchdown — a nine-yard walk to rookie moving backmost Woody Marks to marque it a 10-0 game. A cardinal play connected that thrust was a second-and-7 walk aft escaping pressure, wherever Nico Collins got unfastened for his backmost and took his drawback 53 yards to acceptable up the Texans successful large presumption successful the reddish zone.

As the fractional ended 10-0, the Texans had to cognize that Mahomes and the Chiefs would travel retired firing successful the 3rd quarter. That doesn’t mean they were wholly prepared for it.

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the shot past Danielle Hunter #55 and Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans during the 3rd 4th astatine Arrowhead Stadium connected Dec. 7, 2025 successful Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

After forcing a three-and-out, Mahomes yet got thing going, arsenic the Chiefs went 8 plays and 56 yards for their ain touchdown. It was Kareem Hunt breaking a Danielle Hunter tackle down the enactment connected a fourth-and-1 play astatine the extremity line. Hunt punched it successful and it was a caller shot game.

The Chiefs would necktie it with a Harrison Butker 36-yard tract goal, but the people would enactment locked astatine 10-10 arsenic some teams continued to marque fantastic antiaircraft efforts.

The turning constituent successful this contest, though, came erstwhile the Chiefs decided to get greedy connected fourth-and-1 from their ain 31-yard line. Andy Reid has ever trusted Mahomes to get the occupation done, but helium wasn’t capable to arsenic his walk for Rashee Rice went incomplete.

Houston flipped momentum, and they made it enactment successful their favor.

Woody Marks of the Houston Texans scores a receiving touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2nd 4th astatine Arrowhead Stadium connected Dec. 7, 2025 successful Kansas City, Missouri.  (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Stroud made a tremendous play connected third-and-3 arsenic Chiefs prima antiaircraft lineman Chris Jones, who already sacked him successful this game, was barreling down looking for another. Stroud worked to his right, eluding Jones and fired a onslaught to Jayden Higgins to widen the drive.

A fewer plays later, Dare Ogunbowale, who seldom sees the tract different than peculiar teams, scored from 5 yards retired aft Marks came retired of the crippled aft a large hit.

Now 17-10 successful favour of Houston, Mahomes and the Chiefs were adjacent much hopeless arsenic the timepiece continued to tick. But erstwhile again, they weren’t capable to get the occupation done connected 4th down arsenic Rashee Rice dropped what looked similar a bully shot that would’ve kept the thrust alive.

The game-sealing play was the Texans’ 3rd interception connected Mahomes, arsenic helium threw a shot down his trusty choky extremity Travis Kelce. While it was a catchable pass, Kelce had occupation hauling it in, and it hung up excessively overmuch arsenic linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair snagged it to flip the tract erstwhile again.

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Marks picked up a important archetypal down connected the pursuing thrust and the Texans walked the timepiece down until Ka'imi Fairbairn buried the last dagger, arsenic his made tract extremity drained the past magnitude of anticipation for this crippled connected the Chiefs' end. 

In the container score, Mahomes had a brutal show with 12-of-30 for 131 yards and his 3 picks. He was the team’s starring rusher connected the ground, too, with 59 yards connected 7 carries.

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For the Texans, Stroud was 15-of-31 for 203 yards and 1 touchdown with Collins finishing 4 for 121 yards connected his 8 targets. Marks had 65 rushing yards connected 24 carries arsenic well.

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