KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the fourth quarter of a must-win game Sunday night against the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid made a decision he had never made previously over a 27-year career — one that proved to be the turning point in an eventual 20-10 loss.
With 10 minutes remaining and the game tied at 10, Reid decided to keep the Chiefs offense on the field facing fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line.
Instead of calling for a handoff to Kareem Hunt — who has been one of the NFL’s most reliable running backs in short-yardage situations — Reid had quarterback Patrick Mahomes operate from the shotgun with receiver Hollywood Brown in the backfield. The play backfired, as Mahomes’ pass in the middle of the field for receiver Rashee Rice fell incomplete.
It marked the first time in Reid’s career that he went for it on fourth down with the game tied in the fourth quarter or overtime and with his offense inside its own 40-yard line.
A few minutes later, the Texans scored to go ahead 17-10.
“I put the guys, offensively, in a tough position with the fourth downs [calls],” Reid said. “I was trying to stay aggressive with it. I take full responsibility for that. I thought we could get it. It’s important that you take advantage of opportunities. In hindsight, it was wrong. I messed that one up.”
Entering Sunday, the Chiefs led the league in fourth-down attempts, converting 80.8% of their 26 attempts.
Both Next Gen Stats and ESPN Analytics’ model agreed with Reid’s decision to go for it with 10 minutes left, as the Chiefs’ win probability was at 51.7%. But Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. pressured Mahomes into throwing the ball sooner than he wanted against Houston’s zone coverage.
“They did a good job of passing off the crossers,” Mahomes said. “I tried to get the ball to Rashee. I think I was a little late. [Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.] made a great play breaking on the ball. We just have to execute at a higher level in those big moments. It’s something we haven’t done this year.”
Despite beginning the game with three backup linemen protecting him, Mahomes still played well enough to give the Chiefs a chance in the fourth quarter. But too often he couldn’t find enough skill-position teammates to help spur a comeback.
Mahomes threw a perfect deep pass in the third quarter for receiver Tyquan Thornton, the ball touching both of his hands before cornerback Kamari Lassiter recorded the pass breakup. If Thornton made the reception it would have been a 48-yard touchdown and given the Chiefs’ their first lead.
“We’ve been close all season,” Mahomes said. “You’ve got to go out there and make it happen. I’ve got to make the throw a little bit earlier so [Lassiter] can’t close [on the ball]. We’ve got to make those plays.”
Mahomes finished with just 160 passing yards and a 42.4% completion rate, his lowest in a nine-year career. The Chiefs’ 10 points were also their fewest in any home game, regular season or playoffs, with Mahomes as the starter.
In the final 20 minutes, Hunt, Rice and tight end Travis Kelce each dropped a critical pass. Kelce’s second drop — on back-to-back snaps — led to Mahomes’ third interception, ending the Chiefs’ last chance for a comeback. The Chiefs finished with five drops, tied for the second most by any team this season.
When Rice dropped the ball — on a fourth-and-4 from the Chiefs’ 41-yard line — Mahomes reacted by putting both of his hands on the back of his helmet, which was buried into the turf.
“You’re just getting late in the season, and you’re not going to get these opportunities back,” Mahomes said. “That’s a good team, but we had chances. We didn’t execute at the right time to win it.”
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 6-7, ending their run of nine consecutive AFC West division titles, which was the second-longest streak in NFL history and was the longest active division title streak by any team across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
The Chiefs’ chances of clinching a postseason berth dwindled to just 12%, according to ESPN Analytics. All four of the Chiefs’ remaining games are against AFC opponents, too.
“Listen, it’s never over, so you keep battling,” Reid said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve seen some things, so you keep going.”
For the Chiefs to reach the playoffs, they would need to win their next four games and likely need the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) and Indianapolis Colts (8-5) to lose multiple games.
“We can control how we finish the season,” pass rusher Chris Jones said. “God willing, we’re going to find a way to get into the playoffs. We still got an opportunity, man, even though it’s slim. For us, the door is still open.”
Rice and Brown exited the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter. Inside the locker room, Kelce declined to answer questions from reporters and was one of the last players to take off his uniform. He sat in front of his locker for several minutes with his hands on top of his bowed head.
“Every season I’ve had with him these last few years, I try to cherish because you never know [if this will be his last],” Mahomes of Kelce, a 13-year veteran. “He got himself in great shape this year and he’s played great football. He’ll have the option to do whatever he wants to do after this season, but I know one thing: He’ll give everything he has for the rest of this season to try to give us a chance to make a playoff run.
“We know the chances are getting lower and lower.”