KANSAS CITY, Mo.–Must-win fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game houston texans, kansas city chiefs Coach Andy Reid took a decision he had never taken in his 27-year career – which ultimately proved to be the turning point 20-10 loss,
With 10 minutes remaining and the score tied at 10, Reed decided to keep the Chiefs’ offense on the field, facing fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line.
Instead of calling for handoff Kareem Hunt – who has been one of the NFL’s most reliable running backs in short-yardage situations – Reed had quarterback patrick mahomes Operate firearm with receiver hollywood brown In the backfield. The play backfired, as Mahomes passed over the middle of the field to the receiver. Rashi Rice It remained incomplete.
This marked the first time in Reed’s career that he went on fourth down with the score tied in the fourth quarter or overtime and with his offense inside its own 40-yard line.
A few minutes later, Texas scored to lead 17–10.
“I put guys in tough situations offensively with fourth downs [calls],” Reed said. “I was trying to stay aggressive with it. I take full responsibility for this. I thought we could get it. It is important that you take advantage of opportunities. Later I saw that it was wrong. I messed it up.”
Entering Sunday, the Chiefs led the league in fourth-down success rate, converting 80.8% of their 26 attempts.
Next Gen Stats and the ESPN Analytics model agreed with Reid’s decision to go for it with 10 minutes remaining, as the Chiefs had a 51.7% chance of victory. But the Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. Pressured Mahomes to throw the ball early against Houston’s zone coverage.
“He did a good job of passing the crossers,” Mahomes said. “I tried to get the ball to Rashi. I think I was a little late. [Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.] Showed great play by breaking the ball. We just have to execute at a high level in those big moments. That’s something we haven’t done this year.”
Despite the start of the game three backup linemen Guarding him, Mahomes still played well enough to give the Chiefs a chance in the second half. But often, he couldn’t find enough skill-position teammates to inspire a comeback.
Mahomes throws a perfect deep pass to the receiver in the third quarter tyquan thorntonThe ball touching both of the cornerback’s hands before Kamari Lassiter Near breakup recorded. If Thornton had made the reception, it would have been a 48-yard touchdown and would have given the Chiefs the first lead.
“We’ve been close all season long,” Mahomes said. “You’ve got to go out there and get it done. So I’ve got to throw a little earlier [Lassiter] can’t close [on the ball]We’ve got to make those plays,”
Mahomes finished with only 160 passing yards and a 42.4% completion rate, the lowest of his nine-year career. The Chiefs’ 10 points were also the fewest in any home game, regular season or playoffs, in which Mahomes was the starter.
In the final 20 minutes, Hunt, Rice and the tight end travis kels Each missed an important pass. Kelce’s second down – on back-to-back snaps – led to Mahomes’ third interception, ending the Chiefs’ last chance for a comeback. The Chiefs finished with five drops, the second most by any team this season.
When Rice downed the ball – on fourth-and-4 from the Chiefs’ 41-yard line – Mahomes reacted by putting both of his hands behind his helmet, which was buried in the turf.
“You’re late in the season, and you’re not going to get these opportunities back,” Mahomes said. “They’re a good team, but we had chances. We just didn’t execute at the right time to win it.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau research, the loss dropped the Chiefs to 6–7, ending their streak of nine consecutive AFC West division titles, the second-longest streak in NFL history and the longest active division title streak by any team in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Chiefs’ chances of clinching a postseason berth dropped to just 12%. All four of the Chiefs’ remaining games are also against AFC opponents.
“Listen, this is never going to end, so you keep fighting,” Reed said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve seen some things, so you keep going.”
The Chiefs will need to and will likely need to win their next four games to reach the playoffs los angeles chargers (8-4) and indianapolis colts (8-5) Losing multiple games.
“We can control how we finish the season,” pass rusher chris jones Said. “God willing, we’re going to find a way to get to the playoffs. We’ve still got a chance, even if it’s short. For us, the door is still open.”
Rice and Brown left the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter. Inside the locker room, Kelce refused to answer questions from reporters and was one of the last players to take off his uniform. He sat in front of his locker for several minutes with his hands on his head.
“Every season I’ve had with him over the years, I try to cherish it because you never know [if this will be his last],” Mahomes said of Kelce, a 13-year veteran. “He’s found himself in great shape this year and has played fantastic football. After this season he will have the option to do what he wants to do, but I know one thing: he will give his all for the rest of this season to give us a chance to reach the playoffs.
“We know the chances are increasingly slim.”
