10 winners and 4 losers from the Chiefs’ win over the Texans

Your Kansas City Chiefs are heading back to the AFC Championship for the seventh straight season after their 23-14 victory over the Houston Texans in Saturday’s Divisional round game on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

This was a truly complete team win, featuring big contributions from offense, defense and special teams.

Some of the outcomes were predictable. The GOATs were on the field in the postseason — and as usual, they made some memorable plays. But there were also a few stories of redemption and development that shouldn’t go unnoticed — and a few players who were unusually silent.

Winners

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EDGE George Karlaftis: Make no mistake: this was a defensive victory. The pass rush was dominant — and Furious George was everywhere. In his first-ever three-sack performance, Karlaftis showed he can take over a postseason game. As always, his motor was on full display — but he also employed great technique, athleticism and the ability to be a closer. That’s what we expect in a pass rusher looking for a new contract. Karlaftis ended three Houston drives with sacks — including one on fourth down and another at the two-minute warning.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie: If there was any question about whether the two-time All-Pro is among the league’s best corners, he once again showed that folks only need to watch him play. McDuffie stifled Nico Collins and the other Houston receivers, knocking down more passes (3) than got past him. While the coverage was pretty solid across the secondary, teams should know they should never test McDuffie.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones: Big-time players make big-time plays in big moments. Jones was his usual menacing self, leading the charge into the Texans’ backfield. In the first quarter, Jones took C.J. Stroud down for a loss of 12 on a third-and-eight, knocking the Texans out of field goal range.

EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah: In this week’s “Mailbag Show,” we discussed how every playoff run features under-the-radar guys who make names for themselves. While this former first-round pick isn’t exactly unknown, Anudike-Uzomah showed us how far he’s come. In the second half, he had two tackles-for-loss — and also had an important sack at the two-minute warning.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo: We could go on listing individual defensive contributors, but you get the idea: Playoff Spagnuolo was in Hall-of-Fame form. In many ways, his defense carried the day, holding a talented Texans offense to 12 points. Remarkably, the team amassed eight quarterback sacks. We’ve already mentioned three members of the Kansas City front, but we can’t leave out Charles Omenihu — who continued his uncanny streak of playoff strip-sacks — along with Tershawn Wharton and Chamarri Conner, who also got home as Spagnuolo dialed up pressure after pressure. The run defense and secondary also held their own, leaving Houston few opportunities to keep pace.

Tight end Travis Kelce: It was a dominant performance for the 35-year-old shoo-in Hall of Famer, recording seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown — including his longest catch-and-run of the season (and in his postseason career). Playoff Kelce is back — and he’s breaking Jerry Rice’s records in the process.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: In win-or-go-home games, the two-time MVP (and perhaps more significantly, three-time Super Bowl MVP) finds a way. While it wasn’t a huge statistical performance for Mahomes, it did feature yet another moment for his Canton highlight reel: a dart to Kelce in the end zone as he was being tackled. We’ll be talking about that one for a long time.

Running back Kareem Hunt: If there was one player who wanted this win as much as Kelce and Mahomes, it was probably Hunt. After his Kansas City career abruptly ended before the team’s playoff dominance began, Hunt has returned to be a significant part of the offense. The Chiefs’ running game wasn’t able to get much done on Saturday, but Hunt was still able to keep the chains (and the clock) moving, delivering some tough yardage — and the game’s first touchdown to boot. His Kansas City redemption story continues.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: The kid keeps getting better. In his first postseason game, Worthy showed the ball skills to make a 21-yard contested catch, which is a great sign for his development as a complete receiver. He ended the afternoon with five catches and 45 yards — and it still feels like his best is yet to come.

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub: If we’re going to recognize assistant coaches on this list, we can’t ignore Toub. From the opening kickoff, it was clear that his unit was going to be a factor. Nikko Remigio took his first playoff return 63 yards to set up a short field for the offense. Then at the end of the game, safety Justin Reid came flying in, helping linebacker Leo Chenal block a field goal to dash the Texans’ hopes. And oh, yes… after all the worries about Kansas City’s placekicker, Harrison Butker hit all five of his kicks — in less-than-ideal weather.

Losers

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Left tackle Joe Thuney: Head Coach Andy Reid decided to stick with the offensive line that helped get the Chiefs to this point. The outcome wasn’t terrible, but it was clear that Thuney struggled against Will Anderson Jr. and a tough Texans front. Anderson had two sacks and three tackles for loss to go along with a number of pressures — many of which were at the expense of the All-Pro guard who was playing tackle. I’m not sure if there’s a better option, but this was certainly a tough matchup for Thuney.

The other wide receivers: Who could have predicted that outside of Worthy, the team’s wideouts would end up with four targets — and no catches? Mahomes threw the ball only 25 times, so there weren’t a whole lot of opportunities. But it was still surprising to see DeAndre Hopkins go without a catch against his former team — and for Hollywood Brown to fail to get one after a couple of weeks of rest. On offense, this game was all about Mahomes and Kelce — but in the next round, they’ll need more from their other receivers.

Sports betters: When the Chiefs were up 23-12 and got the ball back after the two-minute warning, the game was effectively over. Mahomes kneeled twice and the clock ticked down to fifteen seconds, but Kansas City faced a fourth-and-15 at its own 18-yard line. I’m sure the ensuing decision to take an intentional safety was a safe move — but with the spread at -9.5, taking the margin of victory from 11 to 9 was a big deal for many with money on the game.

Those who blame the referees: Without naming names, it was sad (but predictable) to hear players, coaches, fans (and media!) once again complain that the officials are somehow on the Chiefs’ side. In a dynasty, this comes with the territory; people will always try to excuse away greatness. But it’s a shame that so many postgame comments focused on a couple of penalties — rather than the great performances that truly decided this matchup.

Note: Applying the labels “winners” and “losers is not intended to be a judgment on the talent or character of any of these players. It’s just a simple way to grade their performance in a single game. No disrespect is intended.