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The Kansas City Chiefs had no trouble dispatching a struggling Houston Texans outfit in the first game of the NFL playoffs.
REPORT: CHIEFS ROUT MISTAKE-PRONE TEXANS
The Chiefs came into the Texans’ house and just dominated from the opening kickoff – literally. A Knile Davis 106 yard kickoff return on the very first play of the game set the tone for how today would play out, and Kansas City orchestrated the first playoff shutout in over 10 years as they defeated Houston 30-0.
Alex Smith wasn’t perfect, but he had a good game nonetheless – 17 of 22 for 190 yards, a touchdown and a pick, with five carries for 27 yards. Spencer Ware carried the ball 16 times for 67 yards and a score, while Travis Kelce had a career night, hauling in eight passes for 128 yards.
For Houston, nothing seemed to go right and a large part of that was due to the awful play of Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer. Hoyer completed 15 of 34 for 136 yards and four interceptions – that’s not counting the fumble he lost as well.
Alfred Blue got it done on the ground (17 carries, 99 yards) while DeAndre Hopkins tried his best in the air (six catches, 69 yards), but when your quarterback is consistently turning the ball over, it’s going to be hard to win.
The Chiefs defense finished with three sacks, four interceptions and two forced fumbles, while the Texans defense finished with three sacks and one pick. Great game for Kansas City, and this could be the first step in a deep playoff run for this team.
They’ll play New England next week.
Final score
Houston Texans 0
Kansas City Chiefs 30
The Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs are on the first step of their respective playoff journeys as they both hope to be able to play next week in the divisional round games. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 8:25 am (AEDT).
The Houston Texans are going into the wild card game on a three-game winning streak after victories over the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Beating all three of your division rivals has to give you confidence heading into the postseason, but with a combined record of 16-32, it’s not exactly the sort of competition that would provide a good warmup heading into a match-up with a soaring Chiefs team.
Brian Hoyer didn’t play in every game of the season, but when he did, he played pretty well. Completing 60 per cent of his passes, the former Browns quarterback finished with 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and only seven interceptions for a 7.1 yards per attempt averaging a 91.4 QBR.
DeAndre Hopkins had a great year, and was rewarded with a Pro Bowl spot and an Second Team All-Pro selection. The third year product out of Clemson has slowly morphed into one of the best receivers in the league, and this season’s performance proved it.
Hopkins caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards – both good enough for third in the NFL. In addition, he caught 11 touchdowns, one of only 13 players in the league to have double digit receiving touchdowns.
On the defensive side, Houston had a number of players with good seasons. JJ Watt continued his dominance as one of the NFL’s best defensive players, and was rewarded with a Pro Bowl spot and a First Team All-Pro selection. His 17.5 sacks led the league, his three forced fumbles led the team, and Watt continues to play at an otherworldly level.
Elsewhere, Whitney Mercilus finished with 12 sacks and Andre Hal led the team with four interceptions.
After starting the season 1-5, the Kansas City Chiefs have gone on to win 10 straight games and finish with one of the best records in the NFL. The way this Chiefs team has turned it around and managed to defeat some pretty formidable opponents should be a worry for the Texans. Kansas City could very well extend their winning streak to 11 against Houston.
Alex Smith has been the underrated offensive weapon for this Chiefs team, concluding his 2015 regular season with 3,486 yards, 20 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 65 per cent pass completion rate and a 95.4 QBR. Smith has found great success in Kansas City and while his numbers may not jump off the page, he’s had a solid year under center.
Jeremy Maclin topped 1000 receiving yards in his first season with the Chiefs, catching eight touchdown passes off 87 receptions. The former Philadelphia Eagle has found great success, and has teamed with Travis Kelce (72 catches, 845 yards, five touchdowns) to give Alex Smith some big time playmakers to throw to and make plays in the passing game.
Kansas City’s defence, much like Houston’s, has been dominant all season, with Tamba Hali (6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles), Justin Houston (7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown) Marcus Peters (one forced fumble, eight interceptions with two returned for touchdowns) and Eric Berry (two interceptions) all selected to the Pro Bowl, with Derrick Johnson and Marcus Peters both making Second Team All-Pro.
Prediction: Houston has done well to get into the playoffs, but Kansas City will easily handle the offensively lacklustre Texans behind a dominant performance from Alex Smith. 250+ yards and three touchdowns combined with four sacks and two interceptions, one of them a pick six, will end all hopes of a victory and may give the Chiefs the legitimacy they deserve.
Will Alex Smith shine bright when it matters most?
Join The Roar this morning at 8:25 am AEDT for live score updates and debate in our live blog.
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