Kansas City returns to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season after going on a 41-point rally to defeat the Houston Texans 51-31.
The start of the first quarter was a disastrous one as Kansas City fell behind 24-0 going into the second quarter.
It felt like all hope was lost until Patrick Mahomes flipped a pass out to Damien Williams, who ran 17-yards to put up the first points of the day for Kansas City.
The Chiefs took over on downs at the Houston 33-yard line after they failed to convert on fourth down. Mahomes capped that drive off by hitting tight end Travis Kelce for a five-yard score to pull the deficit to ten.
Luck fell right into the Chiefs’ hands on the upcoming kickoff as Daniel Sorensen put a big hit on DeAndre Carter, causing the ball to pop out and into the hands of Darwin Thompson, who returned the fumble to the Houston six-yard line.
The following drive ended with Mahomes going back to Kelce for the 6-yard score.
On their next drive, Houston was able to add a field goal to go up 24-21.
However, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense were able to go 75 yards from their 10-yard line to take the lead off a 5-yard pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce for his third score of the game.
Kansas City would score another 13 points in the third quarter to total 41 unanswered before Houston was able to respond with another score of their own.
The final blow was an 8-yard touchdown pass to back tight end Blake Bell late in the third and a 24-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to topple the Houston Texans 51-31 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Pat Mahomes finished with 321 yards and 5 touchdown passes; while Deshaun Watson threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns. The upcoming rivalry between these two young gunslingers is going to be something to look forward to for years to come.
Tight end Travis Kelce had a huge night, registering 10 catches for 134 yards and a trio of scores, despite playing with a minor knee injury from practice and a hamstring injury he sustained late in the first half.
Running back Damien Williams also had a productive game with 12 carries for 47 yards, two rushing touchdowns as well as two receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown through the air.
On defense, Kansas City Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnulo did a great job dialing up blitz packages to make Deshaun Watson uncomfortable and it wound up paying dividends. The Chiefs sacked Deshaun Watson five times, three of which were from defensive end, Frank Clark.
The Chiefs showed great resilience coming back from being down 24 to put up 51 points for the win. Kansas City has blown many leads during the postseason in years past but this time, fans get to be on the winning side.
Now, the Chiefs head to the AFC Championship game to face their toughest opponent yet in the Tennessee Titans. Historically, Head Coach Andy Reid’s track record against the Titans isn’t a good one; but with this Chiefs team, anything is possible.
