The Kansas City Chiefs fell to 6-7 Sunday in a 20-10 home loss to the surging Houston Texans. The loss dropped Kansas City’s playoff odds to 15% with just four games left to play. Coach Andy Reid put the loss on his own shoulders, specifically related to two failed fourth downs in the fourth quarter.
A win over the Texans, who are now 8-5 and own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Kansas City, would have given the Chiefs a real shot at the postseason. Given the importance of finding a way to win Sunday night’s game, even on a night where the offense didn’t have its best against Houston’s elite defense, there was an even brighter spotlight on the Chiefs’ critical mistakes.
“I put the guys offensively in a tough position with the fourth downs,” Reid said. “I tried to stay aggressive with it. I take full responsibility for that. I thought we could get it, that was the decision. I was confident we could do that. It’s important that you take advantage of opportunities (and) I thought it was an opportunity. I was wrong, no? I mean, hindsight, it was wrong. We’ve been pretty good on fourth downs. I messed that one up.”
The most notable of those came early in the fourth quarter with the game tied 10-10 when Reid left the offense on the field for a fourth-and-1 on their own 31. Will Anderson Jr. immediately pressured Patrick Mahomes, who couldn’t connect with Rashee Rice on a crosser that set up Houston in scoring position.
The Texans scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive for what became the game-winning score. The Chiefs failed on another fourth down on their next drive, and a Travis Kelce drop popped into the arms of Azeez Al-Shaair for an interception for their third turnover of the quarter in their own territory.
That fourth quarter performance was a microcosm of the season for the Chiefs, where they simply have not made the kinds of plays in key spots for which this offense is known. While Reid rightfully took responsibility, everyone on that offense has played a role in their struggles.
With the loss to Houston, the Chiefs are now 10th in the AFC and their playoff fate is no longer in their hands. Winning out won’t be enough, as the Chiefs need some help to extend their playoff streak to 11 consecutive years.
Catching the Texans, who moved into the 7-seed with the win, would require Kansas City to win out and Houston to go 1-3 in their final four games because of tiebreakers. The best hope for stealing a playoff berth is catching the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) and passing the reeling Indianapolis Colts (8-5), who lost Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury, and Baltimore Ravens (6-7).
For a team that made it to the conference title game in seven consecutive seasons, winning three championships along the way, failing to make the playoffs would require some serious introspection. All great teams eventually come to an end, and it usually happens faster than anyone expects. The Chiefs will always have a chance with Mahomes under center, but this season proves they need to make some changes to re-open that championship window.