Texans’ defense stifles Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs to win fifth straight game
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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 league’s number one defense, showed why they are at the top this season with a 20-10 away win.
This match had major play-off implications for both teams; The Texans are now 8-5 after winning their fifth straight game, while the Chiefs have fallen below .500 at 6-7 with just four games left on the schedule.
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CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans attempts a pass during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on December 7, 2025. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Kansas City, which has won three straight AFC championships, currently sits 10th in the conference and has just a 16% chance of making the postseason.
It didn’t matter how hostile the environment was or how the Chiefs treated this game like it was a playoff game. Houston’s defense showed up like it does every week, and this time it started right away.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense ran just 14 total plays on their first three drives, all of which resulted in punts. Mahomes then intercepted a pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster, Jalen Pitre jumped the route, deflected the pass and was able to find the ball in the air to pin it to his chest as he hit the ground.
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Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offense, which competed in the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium last year, performed well under pressure on their first few drives.
After securing the first points of the game with a field goal on their second drive, Stroud orchestrated a 90-yard march down the field for the first touchdown of the game – a nine-yard pass to rookie running back Woody Marks to make it 10-0. A key play on this drive was a second-and-7 pass after breaking free from pressure; where he got open for quarterback Nico Collins and made a 53-yard catch, putting the Texans in great position in the red zone.
As the half ended 10-0, the Texans had to know that Mahomes and the Chiefs would come out firing in the third quarter. This does not mean that they are completely ready for this.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs passes the ball past Houston Texans’ Danielle Hunter #55 and Azeez Al-Shaair #0 during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on December 7, 2025. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
After forcing a three-and-out, Mahomes finally got something going as the Chiefs drove eight plays and 56 yards for a touchdown of their own. On a fourth-and-1 play at the goal line, Kareem Hunt broke up Danielle Hunter’s interception behind the line. Hunt stepped in and a new game emerged.
The Chiefs tied the score with a 36-yard field goal from Harrison Butker, but the score remained steady at 10–10 as both teams continued to put up stellar defensive efforts.
But 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 always trusted Mahomes to get the job done, but he couldn’t because his clearance to Rashee Rice was incomplete.
Houston turned the momentum around and they did it in their favor.
Woody Marks of the Houston Texans throws a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on December 7, 2025. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Stroud made a great play on third-and-3, and Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones had already sacked him on that play and started looking for a new one. Stroud evaded Jones, worked to his right, and threw a strikeout to Jayden Higgins to extend the drive.
A few plays later, Dare Ogunbowale, who rarely saw the field other than on special teams, scored from five yards out as Marks hit a big strikeout.
Now 17-10 in favor of Houston, Mahomes and the Chiefs became more desperate as the clock ticked. But once again, they couldn’t get the job done in the fourth as Rashee Rice fumbled what looked like a good fly ball that would have kept the drive alive.
The game-ending play was the Texans’ third interception on Mahomes; Mahomes threw the ball behind his reliable opponent, Travis Kelce. Although it was a catchable pass, Kelce struggled to get it in and the pass got stuck too much, with defender Azeez Al-Shaair intercepting it to turn the field over once again.
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Marks picked up a crucial first down on the next drive and the Texans ran down the clock until Ka’imi Fairbairn buried the final dagger as his shot ended the Chiefs’ last hope for this game.
In scoring, Mahomes was brutal, going 12-of-30 for 131 yards and three picks. He was also the team’s leading rusher on the ground with 59 yards on seven carries.
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For the Texans, Stroud was 15-of-31 for 203 yards and a touchdown, and Collins finished four for 121 yards on his eight targets. Marks also had 65 rushing yards on 24 carries.
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