Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud beat Kansas City star Patrick Mahomes to lead the Texans to a 20-10 victory on Sunday, putting the Chiefs’ hopes of making the NFL playoffs in jeopardy.
Kansas City lost 7-6, officially ending its streak of nine consecutive AFC West titles.
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Their hopes of earning a wild-card berth to reach their fourth consecutive Super Bowl also took a major blow.
Houston’s top defense intercepted Mahomes three times, including Aziz Alshahir catching a pass from veteran tight end Travis Kelce in the fourth quarter.
Stroud passed for 203 yards and a touchdown, and Dale Ogunbowale rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take the lead for the Texans, who have won five straight and remain one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.
Mahomes completed 14 of 33 passes for 160 yards and no touchdowns. The Chiefs trailed 10-0 at halftime but tied the game in the third quarter on Kareem Hunt’s two-yard rushing touchdown and Harrison Butker’s 36-yard field goal.
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But the Texans defense was suppressed in the fourth quarter, and the Chiefs were unable to convert twice when trailing in the fourth quarter.
“We had our chances, but we didn’t execute at the right time to win the game,” Mahomes said.
“We know the chances are getting slimmer,” he said of the Chiefs’ playoff prospects, “but I know the guys on this team are going to do their best.”
Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens for a controversial road victory and Josh Allen’s late comeback gave the Buffalo Bills a dramatic victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
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The Ravens lost 27-22 to division rival Pittsburgh in Maryland, where a series of controversial officiating decisions – including a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown disallowed – left Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh furious.
The win puts the Steelers in control of the AFC North division, leading the standings with a 7-6 record, while the Ravens drop to second place at 6-7.
“It’s been an up-and-down season for all of us, and a lot of guys have crushed us over the last week or so,” Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.
“So to come in here as the underdog in a hostile environment and lead the division, it’s really special,” added Rodgers, who ran for one touchdown and passed for another.
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But after a tight matchup at Maryland, the main talking point came after the Ravens saw a possible fourth-quarter touchdown from tight end Isaiah.
The possible score — which would have had Baltimore leading 28-27 with 2:47 left in the game — was initially awarded, but was rescinded after it was deemed incomplete on review.
– A snow-covered classic –
In Buffalo, the Bills rallied from a 28-18 fourth quarter deficit to beat the Bengals 39-34 in a snow-covered classic.
Bills quarterback Allen was the catalyst for the comeback, with a 40-yard rushing touchdown – the longest of his career – and an extra point to cut the Bengals’ lead to 28-25.
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Christian Benford then picked off Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and sprinted 63 yards into the end zone to give the Bills the lead, before Burrow intercepted again and Allen threw a touchdown pass to Jackson Hawes to extend the lead to 39-28.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in a 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“It doesn’t look good,” Colts coach Sean Steichen said of Jones’ injury.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams bounced back from last week’s upset loss to Carolina with a 45-17 rout of already eliminated Arizona. The win moved the Rams to 10-3 against the Seattle Seahawks, but Los Angeles leads the NFC West thanks to last month’s win over Seattle.
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The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 28-21 in the NFC North and the Denver Broncos defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 24-17 to improve to 11-2 and retain the top seed in the AFC Championship Game.
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