-
Adam Teicher
-
DJ Bien-Aime
Close
DJ Bien-Aime
ESPN
- DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets. He’s a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show, “Talkin’ Texans.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs did themselves a favor in terms of securing the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed by beating the Houston Texans 27-19 on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs now have a 91% chance of being the No. 1 seed, according to ESPN Analytics. The top seed carries a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage.
They need to either win one of their final two regular-season games or have the Buffalo Bills lose any of their remaining three games to clinch the top spot. Kansas City would have had a 62% chance at the No. 1 seed had it lost to the Texans.
QB breakdown: Patrick Mahomes can be effective with his high ankle sprain. He didn’t have his best game but was good enough for the Chiefs to win. He scored the Chiefs’ first touchdown on a 15-yard scramble and also had a 12-yard scramble on the drive.
Most surprising performance: Wide receiver Hollywood Brown had a promising game for a player who hasn’t been in a game since suffering a sternoclavicular injury during the preseason. Brown didn’t play a lot but caught five passes for 45 yards. One came on fourth down, and another came on third down. Both plays delivered the Chiefs a fresh set of downs.
Troubling trend: The Chiefs, a week after producing five sacks against the Cleveland Browns, had trouble getting pressure on C.J. Stroud. He was sacked once and was otherwise pressured only occasionally. The Browns game was the outlier. The Chiefs have struggled to pressure and sack the opposing quarterback most of the season. — Adam Teicher
Next game: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Wednesday, 1 p.m. ET, Netflix)
The Texans lost three starters at key positions on Saturday in right guard Shaq Mason, wideout Tank Dell, and safety Jimmie Ward. Dell’s injury came off a touchdown on Houston’s first possession of the second half when wideout Jared Wayne collided with Dell’s knee in the end zone.
Dell’s injury was an emotional moment as Texans players cried and struggled to recover afterward. The touchdown made the score 17-16; kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed the extra point. Following the injury, Houston scored three points while allowing 10.
The Texans had a chance to score a game-tying touchdown on their last drive, but the possession resulted in a punt. The Chiefs got the ball back and ended the game with multiple first downs.
Describe the game in two words: Major injuries. The Texans lost three starters in Ward, Mason and Dell to lower leg injuries. These injuries don’t appear to be short-term injuries as Dell and Ward were carted off, and Mason had bodies fall on one of his knees in a muddy pocket. The Texans are already without key players in wideout Stefon Diggs and safety Jalen Pitre, who are out for the season. Adding Ward, Dell and Mason to that list makes it harder to overcome as the postseason approaches.
QB breakdown: Stroud gave the Texans a chance to pull off the upset with his performance. He wasn’t perfect as he threw two interceptions, but he had plenty of moments when he lifted the offense and made plays with his legs. He was 7-for-9 for 43 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 123.6 when throwing on the run, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and rushed for 23 yards. He finished the day with 244 yards and two touchdowns.
Promising trend: The Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. cornerback duo, only allowing 11 targets for four catches and 35 yards, according to Next Gen Stats. Lassiter did give up a touchdown, but he held up 1-on-1 with speedy Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy on multiple plays. With Pitre and Ward out, the duo must keep this level of play for the Texans’ playoff run to withstand injures to the secondary. — DJ Bien-Aime
Next game: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. ET, Netflix)
