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If the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs learned anything from their divisional round meeting, it’s that it isn’t over until it’s actually over. After erasing a 24-point deficit, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Texans 51-31 to advance to the AFC Conference Championship.
Texans Gain Early Lead
The Houston Texans dominated the first quarter of Sunday’s AFC divisional round.
Fun first 15.#HOUvsKC | #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/uD7xPYIoeo
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 12, 2020
The Texans offense quickly took advantage of an uncomposed Kansas City team. A series of dropped passes lead to three straight punts for the Kansas City offense.
The Chiefs offense proved to be their own biggest obstacle in the first quarter according to Mahomes:
In contrast, Deshaun Watson and the Texans were capitalizing on the Chiefs’ struggles. Two touchdown passes from Watson and a blocked punt put the Texans up 21-0 in the first quarter.
In the end, Watson went 31-53 while throwing for 388 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas City Take Over
After a disastrous first quarter, the Chiefs finally began to take control of their home field. In the second quarter, Kansas City responded with four straight touchdowns to give themselves a 28-24 lead heading into halftime.
Additionally, Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce combined for three of the four second-quarter touchdowns.
Toe drag at the line of scrimmage.
Quick toss to @tkelce. #ChiefsKingdomAre you serious, @PatrickMahomes?! #NFLPlayoffs (by @GenesisUSA) pic.twitter.com/i0FMiBYrhI
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2020
The Kansas City offense continued to roll in the third quarter. Furthermore, back-to-back touchdowns from running back from Damien Williams put the Chiefs up 41-24.
At the end of the third quarter, the Texans responded to the Chiefs six consecutive touchdowns with a touchdown of their own. A five-yard run from Watson cut the Chiefs’ lead to 10.
Mahomes recorded his fifth touchdown of the night with an eight-yard pass to tight end Blake Bell. On the next drive, a 24-yard field goal from Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker sealed the Chiefs 51-31 victory.
https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1216530300076990464
The Chiefs’ historic comeback victory is the first of its kind. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid stated the strength of his team gave them the ability to turn the game around.
AFC Championship
The Chiefs will face the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship on Sunday, Jan. 19. Kansas City will have the home-field advantage with kickoff set for 3:05 p.m. eastern.
The last time the two teams met in Week 10 of the regular season, the Titans walked away with a 35-32 victory.
However, the Titans have gained more experience going up against top-ranked offenses. Tennessee advanced to the AFC Championship after knocking off the New England Patriots and the high-scoring Baltimore Ravens.
