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In an era where explosive offense is the key to success, “Sunday Night Football” was a defensive masterclass by both the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the Texans, the number one defense in the league, showed why they are at the top of the pile this season in a 20-10 victory on the road.
This game had massive 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 remaining on the schedule.
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CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans looks to pass the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Kansas City – winners of three straight AFC championships – now sits in 10th place 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 treated this game like it was the playoffs. Houston’s defense delivered, as it has week after week, and it started right away in this one.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense ran just 14 total plays on their first three drives, all of which ended in punts. Then Mahomes threw an interception on a pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster when Jalen Pitre jumped the route, deflected the pass and managed to find it in the air to secure the ball to his chest as he 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, fared well in the face of pressure on their first couple of drives.
After securing the game’s first points 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 it a 10-0 game. A key play on that drive was a second-and-7 pass after escaping pressure where Nico Collins got open for his quarterback and took his catch 53 yards to put the Texans in great position in the red zone.
With the half ending 10-0, the Texans had to know Mahomes and the Chiefs would come out firing in the third quarter. That doesn’t mean they were fully prepared for it.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs drives the ball past Danielle Hunter #55 and Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans in the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
After forcing a three-and-out, Mahomes finally got something going as the Chiefs went eight plays and 56 yards for a touchdown of their own. It was Kareem Hunt who broke a Danielle Hunter tackle behind the line on a fourth-and-1 play at the goal line. Hunt hit it in and it was a new ballgame.
The Chiefs would tie it with a Harrison Butker 36-yard field goal, but the score would remain locked at 10-10 as both teams continued to put in stellar defensive efforts.
However, the turning point in this contest 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 was unable to when his pass to Rashee Rice fell incomplete.
Houston turned the momentum and they made it work in their favor.
Woody Marks of the Houston Texans scores a receiving touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Stroud made a great play on third-and-3 when Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who already sacked him on this play, ran down looking for another. Stroud worked to his right, eluded 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 special teams, scored from five yards out after Marks came out of the game on 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 weren’t able to get the job done on fourth down as Rashee Rice dropped what looked like a good ball that would have kept the drive alive.
The game-sealing play was the Texans’ third interception on Mahomes as he threw a ball behind his trusty tight end Travis Kelce. Although it was a catchable pass, Kelce had trouble hauling it in and it hung too much when linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair scooped it up to reverse the field.
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Marks picked up a crucial first down on the following drive and the Texans ran down the clock until Ka’imi Fairbairn buried the final dagger as his made field goal drained the last hope of this game in the Chiefs’ end.
In the box, Mahomes had a brutal 12-of-30 performance 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 with Collins finishing four for 121 yards on his eight targets. Marks also had 65 rushing yards on 24 carries.
