KANSAS CITY, Mo. — — Patrick Mahomes knew he could run on the ankle he sprained last week. The bigger concern for the Chiefs quarterback was how he would stop, when all the weight and pressure and momentum would land squarely upon it.
The solution against Houston was simple: Mahomes didn’t stop.
The two-time MVP kept chugging forward until he plowed into the end zone on a 15-yard scramble to cap the Chiefs’ opening drive on Saturday. Mahomes proceeded to throw for 260 yards and another score, never once looking troubled by his ailing ankle, and led Kansas City to a 27-19 victory that put the Chiefs on the brink of the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Chiefs (14-1) can clinch the postseason bye and home-field advantage if Buffalo loses to or ties New England on Sunday. If the Bills win, Kansas City can wrap it up by beating Pittsburgh on Christmas Day — its third game in an 11-day span.
“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.”
Xavier Worthy had seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, Kareem Hunt ran for 55 yards and another score, and Marquise Brown had five catches for 45 yards for Kansas City in his first game this season after recovering from a shoulder injury.
The result was what Chiefs coach Andy Reid called his team’s most comprehensive performance of the season.
As for Mahomes?
“He spoils the dog out of us, he’s so tough,” Reid said. “You get used to it. But most guys don’t come back from that like he did.”
C.J. Stroud threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for Houston (9-6), and one of those TD throws came at a great expense. Tank Dell, who had six catches for 98 yards, sustained a devastating knee injury on the play and was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center, where Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he would remain overnight.
“All our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now. You see what he means to our entire team,” Ryans said. “It hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a fantastic game, playing really well for us.”
Stroud was visibly shaken by the injury and had to be consoled by teammates on the sideline.
“I mean, all you can really do is pray,” he said.
There were questions early in the week about whether Mahomes, who has a history of ankle injuries, would play at all after he sustained a high ankle sprain late in last week’s win over Cleveland. But he was off the injury report by Friday, and he was on the field and leading the Chiefs to a touchdown on their opening possession.
His scramble for a score was merely the start of a back-and-forth first half.
The Texans answered with a 33-yard field goal, then went on a 13-play, 82-yard drive that ended with Stroud’s touchdown toss to Dalton Schutlz. But the Chiefs quickly regained the lead when Hunt barreled into the end zone, and they tacked on a field goal a few minutes later after Stroud’s second interception to lead 17-10 at the break.
Dell was hurt on the Texans’ opening drive of the third quarter. He was coming across the back of the end zone and made a spectacular catch but collided with teammate Jared Wayne on his way to the ground. He immediately grabbed his left knee, and players from both teams surrounded him as he was loaded onto a cart and driven from the field.
Ka’imi Fairbairn promptly missed the extra point, and any momentum Houston might’ve had disappeared.
Kansas City marched the other way, relying heavily on Worthy, who touched the ball four times on the drive. The first-round pick finished it off with an 8-yard reception, giving him a season high for receiving yards and his eighth touchdown of the year.
The teams matched fourth-quarter field goals, and the Texans took over trailing 27-19 with just over five minutes to go. But the Chiefs forced a three-and-out, getting a sack from Josh Williams on a cornerback blitz, and ran out the clock from there.
“This was a great test versus a really good playoff team,” Ryans said. “This was a playoff atmosphere here today. I thought our guys battled the right way. We just have to finish.”
Pop star Taylor Swift was on hand for the Chiefs’ regular-season finale. She has been spending more time with her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in Kansas City since she wrapped up her Eras Tour on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, British Columbia, including making a surprise visit to Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Houston: OG Shaq Mason (left knee) left on the fourth play of the game. FS Jimmie Ward (foot) was hurt late in the first half.
Kansas City: LB Jack Cochrane fractured his ankle on special teams in the first quarter. RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) left in the third quarter and DT Chris Jones sustained a minor calf strain in the fourth.
The Chiefs head to Pittsburgh and Houston welcomes Baltimore for the NFL’s doubleheader on Christmas Day.
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