NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
In an era where explosive offense is the key to success, “Sunday Night Football” was a defensive masterclass from both the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the Texans, the league’s number one defense, showed why they are ahead of the pack this season in a 20-10 road victory.
This game had huge playoff implications for both teams, as the Texans are now 8-5 after winning their fifth straight game, while the Chiefs fall below .500 at 6-7 with just four games left on the schedule.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
CJ Stroud of the Houston Texans looks to pass the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Kansas City – winner of three straight AFC championships – now sits 10th in the conference and has just a 16% chance of reaching the playoffs.
It didn’t matter how hostile the environment was or the fact that the Chiefs treated this game like it was a playoff. Houston’s defense was up to the task as it has week in and week out, and it started right away in this one.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense only made 14 total plays on their first three drives, all of which ended in punts. Then, Mahomes threw an interception on a pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster, as Jalen Pitre jumped the route, deflected the pass and managed to find it in the air to pin the ball to his chest as it hit the ground.
BRITTANY MAHOMES SUPPORTS PATRICK MAHOMES AS KEVIN DURANT SLAMS STAR CHIEF CRITICISM
Meanwhile, CJ Stroud and the Texans offense, a group that struggled in the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium last year, handled pressure well in their first practices.
After securing the game’s first points with a field goal on their second drive, Stroud orchestrated a 90-yard march down the field for the game’s first touchdown – 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 escaping pressure, where Nico Collins got open for his quarterback and took his catch 53 yards to put the Texans in great position in the red zone.
As the half ended 10-0, the Texans must have known Mahomes and the Chiefs were going to pull in the third quarter. That doesn’t mean they were fully prepared for it.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball past Danielle Hunter #55 and Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
After forcing a three-and-out, Mahomes finally got something going, as the Chiefs went eight plays and 56 yards for a touchdown of their own. It was Kareem Hunt who broke up a Danielle Hunter tackle behind the line on a fourth-and-1 play at the goal line. Hunt hit him and it was a new ball game.
The Chiefs would tie it with a 36-yard Harrison Butker field goal, but the score would remain locked at 10-10 as both teams continued to put up fantastic defensive efforts.
The turning point in this contest, however, came when the Chiefs decided to get greedy on fourth-and-one from their own 31-yard line. Andy Reid always trusted Mahomes to get the job done, but he couldn’t because his pass to Rashee Rice was incomplete.
Houston reversed their momentum and made it work in their favor.
Woody Marks of the Houston Texans scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Stroud made a tremendous play on third-and-3 as Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who had already sacked him in this game, rushed in looking for another. Stroud worked to his right, evading Jones and fired a strike over Jayden Higgins to extend the drive.
A few plays later, Dare Ogunbowale, who rarely sees the field other than on special teams, scored from five yards out after Marks came out of the game following a big hit.
Now 17-10 in favor of Houston, Mahomes and the Chiefs were even more desperate as the clock continued to tick. But once again, they couldn’t get the job done on fourth down as Rashee Rice dropped what looked like a good ball that would have kept the drive alive.
The deciding play was the Texans’ third interception against Mahomes, as he threw a ball behind his trusty tight end Travis Kelce. Although it was a catchable pass, Kelce struggled to recover it, and it hung up too much as linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair caught it to overturn the field again.
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. Offer ends January 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
Marks picked up a crucial first down on the next drive and the Texans ran down the clock until Ka’imi Fairbairn buried the last dagger, as his successful field goal drained the last hope for this game from the Chiefs side.
In the box score, Mahomes had a brutal performance going 12 of 30 for 131 yards and his three picks. He was also the team’s leading rusher on the ground, with 59 yards on seven carries.
For the Texans, Stroud finished 15 of 31 for 203 yards and a touchdown, with Collins finishing four for 121 yards on his eight targets. Marks also had 65 rushing yards on 24 carries.
