KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The nuances of the game: strategy, angles and clutch performances in key moments. That's what the Kansas City Chiefs have already mastered.
They win football games through sheer talent and the coaching knowledge of Andy Reid and his staff, but also because the defending Super Bowl champions have displayed a proven knack for not making mistakes while forcing their opponents to make critical errors.
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The Texans, a repeat AFC South division winner, became the latest visitor to Arrowhead Stadium to come up short in a late-game effort galvanized by Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In winning their 16h consecutive one-score game Saturday over the Texans, the Chiefs manufactured a 27-19 comeback victory built around Mahomes and exploiting a pair of interceptions from quarterback C.J. Stroud.
It wasn't as if the 9-6 Texans, who have already clinched a home playoff game as the fourth seed in the AFC, were uncompetitive against 14-1 and top-seeded Chiefs.
To the contrary, the Texans were in the thick of this contest before things started to unravel after a horrific dislocated knee cap suffered by wide receiver Tank Dell while catching a touchdown pass in the third quarter that brought them to within one point of the Chiefs. Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn uncharacteristically missed the extra point that would have tied the game.
And this outcome and how it unfolded provides another reminder that the Texans with two games remaining in the regular season aren't quite there yet when it comes to consistently beating elite teams.
"I am very proud of the effort of our guys," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. "They came out and played really hard. We battled, and it was a really good battle against a really good team. We have to clean up executing in critical moments and finish them. That is where we have to clean it up.
"This was a great test against a great, playoff team and it was a playoff atmosphere today from the crowd playing against a really great team. I thought our guys battled all the way and we just have to finish in those moments."
After the miscue from Fairbairn, Mahomes engineered a convincing 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by his touchdown pass to wide receiver Xavier Worthy to take a 24-16 lead that proved to be enough. While the Texans got into scoring position in the fourth quarter, Stroud was run out of bounds for a sack, followed by a delay of game penalty and an incompletion that ended the red-zone scoring opportunity before Fairbairn made a 38-yard field goal to close the gap to 24-19.
The Chiefs would answer with a field goal of their own from Harrison Butker. The Texans' final shot to answer was dashed when Stroud was sacked by cornerback Joshua Williams on a blitz to put the game away.
"Every game Kansas City has been in has come down to the fourth quarter and the teams that made the plays in the fourth quarter won the game," Ryans said. "There has only been one team to do that, and it was Buffalo. All of the other teams didn't execute down the stretch and now that includes us. We didn't execute in the fourth quarter. We had our moment there.
"We had our moment to drive. Defense had their moment to stand up and stop them to get the ball back and we didn't make the plays. Kansas City made the plays and that is why they are in the top echelon of the NFL right now. They find ways to win and play situational football. They did good job on third downs and staying on the field. We had ways to get off."
Mahomes didn't have to be dynamic, but he was more than good enough. He completed 28 of 41 passes for 260 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions and even rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown on five carries as he showed no signs of a sprained ankle. His mobility and decision-making were on point.
A two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and six-time Pro Bowl selection and former Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes' 15-yard touchdown run got the Chiefs on the scoreboard.
"Once I got running I saw the end zone and just tried to get up in the air and get in the end zone," he said. "It wasn't like setting a tone or anything like that. I just tried to play football at the end of the day."
Now, the Chiefs can clinch a bye and home-field advantage should the Buffalo Bills lose or tie to the New England Patriots. A Bills win would require the Chiefs to earn the top seed with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
"I ask a lot from the guys around me. I feel like if I'm going to ask them to play through pain and nicks and bruises, I've got to do it as well," Mahomes said. "That's something that I pride myself on is being out there with my guys."
"He spoils the dog out of us, he's so tough," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "You get used to it. But most guys don't come back from that like he did."
Stroud passed for 244 yards on 23 of 39 accuracy and two touchdowns, including one to cap a 13-play, 82-yard drive with a scoring throw to tight end Dalton Schultz, and he was only sacked twice.
He was picked off in the second quarter by cornerback Trent McDuffie while under duress. That led to a Butker field goal that gave the Chiefs a 17-10 halftime lead.
"Another two minute situation, which is important to get the defense off the field," McDuffie said. "This week I was at nickel, so it's a little different on the field. The play before, we kind of knew what they were going to do, knew they were going to do inside breaking routes. Shout out to the d-line, they made C.J. throw a bad ball and I was able to come up with the catch."
Stroud was intercepted by rookie Jaden Hicks on an overthrow intended for star wide receiver Nico Collins. That set the table for Mahomes' touchdown run.
"C.J. battled all day and made some really good passes," Ryans said. "C.J. made some plays and I'm proud of his effort today."
For the season, Stroud has passed for 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
He has dealt with a lot of adversity, including frequently substandard pass protection, screen plays that simply don't work and losing Dell and previously wide receiver Stefon Diggs to season-ending injuries as well as Collins for five games with a hamstring pull.
It's been a lot for the second-year quarterback who was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season.
Nonetheless, Stroud has fought through his circumstances and has his team headed to the postseason.
On Saturday, Stroud was in tears when his best friend, Dell, suffered a horrific injury.
"I think we showed that we belong, that we can hang with any team," Stroud said. "We have a lot of highs, butwe also have lows we have to deal with. We have to find a way to be in the in-between. I have to be careful with the football, stay in the pocket as best as I can and deliver as best as I can.
"We proved that effort isn't a problem, playing hard isn't a problem. The execution has to be better to win these close games against playoff teams, in playoff atmospheres. Hopefully, we will see these guys again. We'll keep fighting for our brothers, it'll be beneficial for us later."
The Texans return to play at home on Christmas Day against the Baltimore Ravens, the team that defeated them in the playoffs last season in the AFC divisional round.
"I mean, the best thing is it's just good that we see them now because, at the end of the day, when it comes down to it, we know what we got to do," running back Joe Mixon said. "We know what it's going to take. Obviously, you know, back-to-back Super Bowl champions. In order to be a champion, you got to beat the champion."
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.