Chiefs knock off Texans in matchup of division leaders

Patrick Mahomes passed for 260 yards and accounted for two touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs moved closer to securing the top seed in the AFC playoffs with a 27-19 victory over the visiting Houston Texans on Saturday.

Mahomes appeared unfazed by the high right ankle sprain that sidelined him in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He finished 28 of 41 for the Chiefs (14-1), who converted 7 of 13 third downs to keep the Texans (9-6) at bay.

Both teams have already clinched division titles.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But he also tossed two interceptions that the Chiefs converted into 10 points, and he was sacked twice. The Texans committed six penalties and finished 1 for 3 in the red zone to undermine their upset bid.

Xavier Worthy had seven receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown, while Marquise Brown finished with five catches for 45 yards in his Chiefs debut. Eight Chiefs players caught passes.

Jaden Hicks’ interception of Stroud snuffed the Texans’ initial drive, and when the Chiefs took over, Mahomes moved the sticks with a 12-yard pass to Brown on fourth-and-1. Mahomes capped the 11-play, 66-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 6:31 left in the first.

Houston rallied to a 10-7 lead, starting with a seven-play, 55-yard drive that culminated in Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 33-yard field goal with 3:08 left in the first quarter.

On the Texans’ next possession, Stroud connected with Dalton Schultz for a 10-yard scoring pass with 10:09 remaining in the first half. Houston converted three first downs during the 13-play, 82-yard drive.

But the Chiefs responded, capitalizing on a pair of crucial Houston penalties en route to their own 13-play, 82-yard drive, which Kareem Hunt capped with a 3-yard touchdown run.

When Trent McDuffie picked off Stroud with 52 seconds left in the second quarter, Harrison Butker drilled a 44-yard field goal put the Chiefs ahead 17-10 at the break.

Houston lost receiver Tank Dell to a significant left knee injury during his 30-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that pulled the Texans to within 17-16.

Dell had his left leg stabilized before being carted off the field and taken to a hospital. Dell had six catches for 98 yards.