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In an era where explosive offense is key to success, “Sunday Night Football” was a defensive masterclass from both the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the Texans, the league’s No. 1 defense, showed why they are on top this season with a 20-10 road victory.
This game had huge playoff implications for both teams, as the Texans are now 8-5 after winning their fifth straight game, while the Chiefs fall below .500 at 6-7 with just four games left on the schedule.
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CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans looks to pass the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Kansas City, winner of three straight AFC championships, now sits 10th in the conference and faces just a 16% chance of making the postseason.
It didn’t matter how hostile the environment was, or the fact that the Chiefs were treating this game like it was a playoff. Houston’s defense delivered as it has week in and week out, and hit the ground running in this one.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense ran just 14 total plays on their first three drives, all of which ended with punts. Mahomes then threw an interception on a pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster, while Jalen Pitre jumped the route, deflected the pass and managed to find it in the air to secure the ball to his chest as it hit the ground.
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Meanwhile, CJ Stroud and the Texans offense, a group that struggled in the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium last year, performed well under pressure in their first series.
After securing the first points of the game with a field goal on their second drive, Stroud orchestrated a 90-yard march down the field for the game’s first touchdown: a nine-yard pass to rookie running back Woody Marks to make the game 10-0. A key play on that drive was a pass on second-and-7 after escaping pressure, where Nico Collins got open for his quarterback and made a 53-yard catch to put the Texans in great position in the red zone.
When the half ended 10-0, the Texans had to know that Mahomes and the Chiefs would come out firing in the third quarter. That doesn’t mean they were completely prepared for it.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball past Danielle Hunter #55 and Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
After forcing a three-pointer, Mahomes finally got something done, as the Chiefs went eight plays and 56 yards for their own touchdown. It was Kareem Hunt breaking up a Danielle Hunter tackle behind the line on a fourth-and-1 play at the goal line. Hunt put it in and it was a whole new ball game.
The Chiefs would tie the score on a 36-yard field goal by Harrison Butker, but the score would remain locked at 10-10 as both teams continued to make fantastic defensive efforts.
The turning point in this contest, however, came when the Chiefs decided to go greedy on fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line. Andy Reid has always relied on Mahomes to get the job done, but he couldn’t do it because his pass to Rashee Rice fell incomplete.
Houston changed the momentum and made it work in their favor.
Woody Marks of the Houston Texans scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Stroud made a tremendous play on third-and-3 as Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who already sacked him in this game, was diving for another one. Stroud worked to his right, eluding Jones and fired a strike to Jayden Higgins to extend the drive.
A few plays later, Dare Ogunbowale, who rarely sees the field other than on special teams, scored from five yards out after Marks exited the game following a big hit.
Now 17-10 in favor of Houston, Mahomes and the Chiefs were even more desperate as the clock continued to tick. But once again, they couldn’t get the job done on fourth down when Rashee Rice dropped what looked like a good ball that would have kept the drive alive.
The play that sealed the game was the Texans’ third interception on Mahomes, as he threw a ball behind his trusty tight end Travis Kelce. While it was a catchable pass, Kelce had trouble catching it and hung too high when linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair caught it to flip the field once again.
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Marks picked up a crucial first down on the next drive and the Texans walked the clock until Ka’imi Fairbairn buried the final dagger, as his field goal drained the Chiefs’ last hopes for this game.
In the box score, Mahomes had a brutal performance going 12 of 30 for 131 yards and his three picks. He was also the team’s leading rusher on the ground, with 59 yards on seven carries.
For the Texans, Stroud was 15 of 31 for 203 yards and a touchdown and Collins was four for 121 yards on his eight targets. Marks also had 65 rushing yards on 24 carries.
