3. Once again, as the case has been in all six of the Chiefs’ other losses this year, it all came down to a couple of plays.
The Chiefs rallied to tie the game after falling behind by 10 points in the first half, but after scoring on two of its first three possessions to open up the third quarter, Kansas City didn’t pick up a first down on its next four drives.
In fact, each of those possessions essentially ended with a turnover, as the Chiefs committed two interceptions and two failed fourth-down attempts across those four drives.
The Chiefs’ second series in that sequence, specifically is where the game turned. Kansas City elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 from its own 31-yard line with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, and the gamble failed. Houston took over with great field position that it didn’t waste, and the Texans never looked back.
Kansas City still had multiple chances to tie the game, however, and – in what was essentially a microcosm of the season overall – the Chiefs couldn’t seize those opportunities.
4. Drops in critical moments ultimately proved to be the difference.
Drops, as a statistic, are recorded differently depending on where you look, but regardless of the source, the Chiefs tallied far too many on Sunday night.
Next Gen Stats, for example, had the Chiefs with five drops, marking Kansas City’s most in a game started by Patrick Mahomes since Week 11 of the 2023 season. Pro Football Focus also recorded five drops for Kansas City on the night, the Chiefs’ most (by PFF’s metrics) since Week 9 of the 2022 campaign.
It was an uncharacteristic performance that ended up costing the Chiefs in the end.