The quarterback scrambled for a yard on third down but had his ankle caught underneath on the tackle. Stroud is one of the only Texans to avoid the injury bug this season, starting all 17 games. If Houston wants to pull off the upset, it rests on the right arm of Stroud.

Mayfield is the quarterback of record for the Cleveland Brown’s lone playoff win since 1995. That on its own should bump him up a notch or two.

Houston’s 10-7 record was as much a function of playing in a toothless AFC South as anything else. The Texans offense took a step backward after 2023’s emergence. C.J. Stroud backslid, a robust receiving corps was waylaid by injuries and the team had exactly one regular season win over a fellow playoff team (in Week 5 over the Buffalo Bills).

Saturday’s game ended in a familiar way, with the Chiefs securing a 23-14 win and a spot in the AFC Championship Game. The Texans kept it close and had their chances but didn't capitalize. Kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn struggled, missing three kicks — a field goal wide right, a missed an extra point and a late blocked field goal.

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans will face a challenging test against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. The Houston Texans got off to a strong start to the 2025 NFL playoffs,

The Kansas City Chiefs held off the Houston Texans to reach the AFC championship game for the seventh season in a row.

Before Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud go head-to-head in the playoffs, many will remember the Kansas City Chiefs' message to the Houston Texans star.

The Houston Texans will visit the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC Divisional Round showdown at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a touchdown, most of it going to best buddy Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Houston Texans 23-14 on Saturday to advance to the AFC championship game for the seventh consecutive season.

Kansas City beat the Texans 23-14 on Saturday night in Arrowhead Stadium to mark their seventh consecutive victory in the divisional round of the playoffs.  Unsurprisingly, the Chiefs' dynamic duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce led the way.

The top-seeded playoff teams had wildly divergent experiences on Saturday, as the Chiefs rolled to another win before the Lions' season was upended.