The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Houston Texans, 31-24, at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon for their second loss of the season.
Leading by a touchdown with just over two minutes to go deep in Chiefs’ territory, Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson found wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on fourth-and-three to move the chains and seal the victory for Houston.
It marked the end of a back-and-forth game that saw momentum swing both ways.
Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 19-of-35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in the contest, finding wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a 46-yard score on Kansas City’s opening drive.
Facing a third-and-21, Mahomes fired the ball downfield to connect with the leaping Hill, who then fell into the end zone for his first touchdown of the campaign despite the efforts of two nearby defenders.
Hill hauled in five catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns in his first game-action since Week 1, and his first touchdown marked only the beginning of an electric start for Kansas City as a whole.
On Houston’s first play from scrimmage following Hill’s score, defensive end Frank Clark jarred the ball loose from tailback Carlos Hyde before recovering it deep in Texans’ territory.
The Chiefs then turned the takeaway into a field goal, and after the Texans answered with three points of their own, Kansas City was back in the end zone a drive later as Mahomes found tailback Damien Williams on a 14-yard score to extend the lead.
It was all part of an impressive first quarter for the Chiefs, as Mahomes racked up 168 passing yards and two scores through just three drives, but the Texans managed to respond with a big quarter of their own as Houston went on to tally 20 unanswered points to take the lead headed into halftime.
The Texans appeared to be on the verge of adding to that lead on their opening drive of the third quarter, but a huge tackle by safety Daniel Sorensen on third down followed by a missed field goal kept the score within six. The Chiefs then took advantage, as Mahomes found Hill for a six-yard, go-ahead touchdown on Kansas City’s next possession.
Houston threatened once again on their next series, marching all the way down to Kansas City’s 12-yard line, but cornerback Charvarius Ward picked off Watson in the end zone to hold the Texans without points on a second-straight long drive.
Watson cashed in a drive later, however, leading Houston on a 12-play, 93-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown scramble by the Texans’ young quarterback to re-claim the lead.
The Chiefs couldn’t get much going on their following possession, and after Watson’s fourth-down conversion, Mahomes and company didn’t have another chance to tie things up.
Kansas City will return to action in just a few days as the Chiefs take on the Broncos on Thursday Night Football.