The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that,
a review of Week 14:
Houston Bested a Defensive Master: If you love you some defense, this was your game. The Texans brought in their #1 ranked unit into Arrowhead Stadium, the laboratory of defensive mastermind Steve Spagnuolo. “Spags” especially showcased his prowess in a dominant 3rd quarter, when his squad held Houston to -2 yards on four drives. This all came after Stroud torched KC with many a deep connection to Nico Collins in the 1st half. Kansas City’s best overall defender, DT Chris Jones, wreaked havoc on a lower-tier offensive line. However, Houston’s D proved one better. They held QB Patrick Mahomes to the worst game of his career (14 of 33 for 160 yards, 3 INTs). Yes, the Chiefs rushed for 126 yards, but take out Mahomes 59 yards in scrambles, and the Chiefs only mustered 67 yards on 22 carries. As a defense, you will take that all day. When the game was on the line, it was the Houston defense that made the big stops, stopping KC on two 4th down conversion attempts and netting two INTs in the 4th Quarter. The Most Interesting Defense in the World elevated its game in arguably a season-best performance.
Not a great CJ Stroud, but an effective one: The two halves of Stroud showed up again. In the 1st half, Stroud built off of his performance in the second half of the Indy game, going 12 of 19 for 171 yards and a TD. While sacked twice, Stroud also moved around to avoid KC defenders, finding Nico Collins for huge gains against the Chiefs’ defense. However, the second half proved a far different affair. Stroud only managed 32 passing yards, starting the half 0 for 8 (he finished the second half 3 of 12). He was sacked once but was under constant pressure. Yet, for all of the struggles, Stroud did not succumb to the big mistake. He threw the ball away vs trying for the big play, which can lead to major lost yardage/turnovers. On the 2nd half sack, RT Trent Brown got beaten too quickly for Stroud to do anything. At least he led the offense to points when they had the short fields in the 4th.
The 4th Quarter of a must-win game, and it was the Chiefs that folded: In a must-win game, in front of the loudest crowd in the NFL, you figure the Chiefs would find a way to win, like they have so often these past 7 years. That did not happen. Mahomes threw two INTs. TE Travis Kelce was bad (more later). Rice had a key drop. Then you have Andy Reid. One maybe could see the logic in going for it on 4th down when it was 4th and 1 with Mahomes, Kelce, et al. However, the game was tied, and the KC defense had held Houston’s offense in check. Also, the ball was deep in KC territory (KC 31). The Chiefs failed, mainly due to Anderson and Stingley stepping up. Houston took advantage of the short field, scored the go-ahead TD, and never relinquished strategic control of the game. If Kansas City fails to make the playoffs for the 1st time since 2014, look to this 4th Quarter.
The Upright Returns: For the second game in a row, and thrid in the last four, a kicker in a Houston contest hit the upright. This time, Harrison Butker provided the sound effects. His 2nd quarter 43-yard attempt stayed too far to the right to get inside the upright. Thus, another loud, impressive echoing “doink”…one that resonated even inside the ear-blaster that is Arrowhead Stadium. Was this doink more impressive that Wright’s doink in Nashville or Badgely’s doinkage in Indy? Maybe not, but a good “doink” always adds some levity to the game.
The Decisive Play
13:35, 4th Quarter. 3rd and 17 at the HOU 9. CJ Stroud to Jayden Higgins completion for 17 yards
Most would look to the 4th down stop against KC later in the 4th, which set Houston up with a short field and lead to the Ogunbowale TD. Yet, does Houston even get into that position if they don’t convert this 3rd and long? Prior to this play, Houston’s offense sucked in the 2nd half. CJ Stroud had no completions and the play before, KC DL George Karlaftis sacked Stroud for -11 yards. Few expected Houston to do anything at this point. Yet, on this play, when Houston at least needed to get some yards to improve punting, Stroud dropped back in shotgun and found a somewhat open Jayden Higgins in the left center part of the field right at the line to gain. Higgins held on, netting Houston’s first 2nd half completion and chain movement. This moved the ball out of the shadow of the Houston goal line to the 26. While Houston failed to convert on the next set of downs, they did move the ball up to their 34-yard line, allowing Townsend to flip field position, putting Kansas City back near their 20-yard line. If Houston doesn’t convert, Kansas City likely gets the ball near midfield. Also, the completion seemed to aid Stroud, who completed 3 of his next 4 passes. In a defensive slugfest, that one completion did just enough to trigger the Houston win.
FUN WITH NUMBERS:
3-0: Houston’s record against the other AFC 2024 Division Winners: The idea of Houston facing KC, BAL and BUF, with the first two on the road, did not inspire a lot of confidence. Yet, Houston swept that line up. Last season, they went 1-2. Maybe they weren’t as strong, but few would think Houston could take all three against that lineup.
19.8: Patrick Mahomes’ Game QBR: Did you really need numbers to tell you that Mahomes had a bad game against Houston? Now, if you take the ESPN numbers as gospel, you have Mahomes’ worst ever game, which is saying something.
GAME BALLS:
RB Woody Marks: 26 carries for 68 yards, 2 receptions for 8 yards and 1 TD. Solid numbers, but this game ball is for his 4th quarter. There, Marks rushed 13 times for 43 yards. He carried the ball on Houston’s final 6 offensive plays, gaining 16 yards that netted one first down, bled 3:02 off the clock and set up Houston’s game-sealing FG. All while playing hurt during the game. Perhaps the rookie’s toughest performance to date.
CB Kamari Lassiter:. 6 total tackles (5 solo), 2 passes defended, 1 INT. One of his PDs came on a deep pass that should have netted KC a long TD. That proved critical, as KC settled for 3 on that drive vs. 7. Also, Lassiter provided strong coverage on different receivers, to include TE Kelce, at key moments. Truth be told, you could put the entire Texans’ secondary here.
SHOULD BE FORCED TO CLEAN-UP ALL OF THE RANCID KC BBQ SAUCE SPILLED AT ARROWHEAD WHILE LISTENING TO A MIX OF THE ARROWHEAD CHOP AND ANDY REID’S “CHICKEN NUGGIES” COMMERICAL ON FULL REPEAT:
Houston’s Oline Performance in the 3rd Quarter: Stroud did not complete a pass and was under massive pressure on every single play. Houston lost 2 yards on 12 snaps. Chris Jones had his way with whichever HOU lineman he went against and must wonder how he didn’t have 2 sacks and 4 TFLs in that quarter alone. That 3rd quarter protection was so bad, it didn’t matter what the play-call was, as they couldn’t block anything.
TE Travis Kelce: Only 1 reception for 8 yards on 5 targets. Kelce had perhaps the worst 4th quarter of his career. He dropped one open pass and then had that bobble-turned-INT. This after torching Houston for 7 receptions/117 yards/1 TD in the Divisional Round. Houston got the memo to actually account for Kelce in the game plan.
With this win, Houston moves to 8-5, one game back of Jacksonville for the AFC South and sitting as the 7th seed for the AFC playoffs. They return to NRG to host the Arizona Cardinals for a noon CST kickoff this coming Sunday, which you can watch on FOX.
