Arrowhead Pride
As the Week 14 edition of “Sunday Night Football” got underway on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs were searching for a victory over the Houston Texans — one that would maintain their playoff hopes. But instead, they found their fourth loss in five games — this time, a 20-10 defeat — that made their chance to make the postseason plummet as their record fell to 6-7.
Kansas City began at its own 33 and leaned on Isiah Pacheco for back-to-back 3-yard runs before Patrick Mahomes’ third-down throw to Noah Gray fell incomplete. With nothing developing beyond midfield and Wanya Morris leaving the field after the first snap, Matt Araiza punted from the 39, sending a 48-yard kick that Jaxson Noel secured with a fair catch at the Houston 13.
Houston began at its own 13 and leaned on Will Marks for the early work, using an extra blocker in Ben Fisher to spring a 6-yard gain off left guard. Marks added 3 more up the middle, setting up a manageable second down, but the Texans failed to build real momentum from there. A short pass from C.J. Stroud to Christian Kirk gained 6 yards, but Kansas City’s front stiffened: George Karlaftis and Nick Bolton combined to stop Marks on a right-end run, and a sack split by Jerry Tillery and Ashton Gillotte pushed Houston backward before a defensive-holding call on Bolton wiped out another stop. After the penalty reset the chains, Marks gained 2 yards on a right-tackle call, then 3 more inside, but the Chiefs held firm again as Stroud’s third-down throw to Nico Collins fell incomplete.
Houston finally broke the scoreless start after C.J. Stroud hit Nico Collins for a 46-yard gain to the Kansas City 21 — a play on which Trent McDuffie was injured. Will Marks followed with short gains before an illegal shift erased a touchdown to Dalton Schultz, and a completion to Jalen Higgins set up fourth-and-1. Houston lined up for a tush push to extend the drive, but left tackle Amarius Ersery was flagged for lining up offsides, wiping out the attempt and forcing the Texans to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn to take a 3–0 lead.
Kansas City opened its next series with Mahomes scrambling twice for gains of nine yards each, while Pacheco added two efficient runs to move the ball toward midfield. Hunt pushed the Chiefs across the 50 before the drive stalled: Mahomes was sacked by Togiai for a nine-yard loss, and Rice’s seven-yard catch on third-and-long wasn’t enough to recover the yardage. Wanya Morris was ruled out with an injury during the sequence, and Trent McDuffie’s return was deemed questionable.
Chiefs open up the quarter with a Matt Araiza punt from the Houston 49, and although the Texans were flagged for running into the kicker, Kansas City declined and took...
