Texans-Chiefs Preview

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Houston Texans visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night squarely in the fight for a division title.

Kansas City is simply fighting for its playoff life.

It's a strange situation for Chiefs coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of a bunch that has won nine straight AFC West titles, appeared in the last seven conference championship games and reached the past three Super Bowls. The Chiefs are 6-6 with five games to go, and they may need to win out - and get some help - just to qualify for this postseason.

“We just have to execute at a higher level. We've done a lot of good things but we've made a lot of mistakes that we haven't been able to overcome,” Mahomes said. “At the end of the day, you have to go prove it. You have to prove it on game day.”

They've proven they can still play at an elite level, at least occasionally, like they did in wins over the Lions and Colts. But they've also had a propensity for committing too many penalties, dropping too many passes and blowing too many late leads.

They can fault all three last week against Dallas, when they blew a 21-20 fourth-quarter lead in an eventual 31-28 defeat.

“It's about consistency,” Chiefs center Creed Humphrey said. “It's about coming in game day and executing, doing your job, things like that. The ship's not sinking or anything. We're still right where we need to be.”

That might be a stretch.

The Texans (7-5), by contrast, are closing in on exactly where they want to be. They've won four consecutive games for the first time since a nine-game streak in 2018, and are now just a game behind Indianapolis and Jacksonville in the AFC South. Keep the momentum going and Houston could become just the fifth team since 1990 to start 0-3 and qualify for the playoffs.

“I think it all goes back to preparation, and how confident you walk in those stadiums,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “Our preparation has to be even better than last week, because every game gets bigger and bigger. So, it's exciting times. I think everybody knows what's at stake. So it's just trying to rise up to those levels and go 1-0 every play.”

The Chiefs put left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve following left wrist surgery this week, while right tackle Trey Smith has an ailing ankle and right tackle Jawaan Taylor a triceps injury. That means Kansas City will have three fill-ins - Wanya Morris, Mike Caliendo and Jaylon Moore - protecting Mahomes against the NFL's top-ranked defense.

The Chiefs aren't without problems beyond the penalties, especially on defense. They have only managed 22 sacks, better than five other teams, and they have produced 11 turnovers, a total that is better than just three teams.

The reason Houston has been so successful in recent weeks is quite simple, at least according to coach DeMeco Ryans: “The common thread for us winning is our players making the plays. That’s what it’s all about.

“Our guys have done a great job of finding a way to make, whether that’s special teams, offense, everybody stepping up, making a play when we need to make a play,” Ryans said. “That won’t change this week.”

Wide receiver Nico Collins had 98 yards receiving last week to give him 4,025 in his career, making him only the fifth player in Texans history to eclipse 4,000. Collins also had his first rushing TD on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter that put the Texans on top.

“Nico is such a valuable piece to our team,” Ryans said. “He’s humble; there’s not an ego with Nico, even though he’s one of the best receivers in the league. He doesn’t walk around that way, like somebody owes him something. He’s a very humble guy, respectful guy. He brings it every single day that he’s working.”

One of the biggest culprits of the inconsistent play by Kansas City this season has been penalties. Only four teams have surrendered more penalty yardage than the Chiefs, and several flags ruined any chance of a comeback in last week’s loss in Dallas.

“You don’t want to get out of your game. You don’t want to let calls affect what you do on the field,” Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “We have to play football. If they throw a flag, they throw a flag. You have to wash it away and get ready for the next play.”

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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.

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