McKinnon scores game winner in OT, Chiefs survive the Texans to win the AFC West again

St. Joseph Post

HOUSTON (AP) — Wearing shirts that read “Conquered the West” and baseball caps commemorating their AFC West title, the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated winning the division for a seventh straight season after outlasting the Houston Texans, 30-24, in overtime Sunday.

Amid the jubilation, their star quarterback was quick to point out the feat was only the beginning of what they hope to do this season.

“When we start every season, the first thing we get told when we first walk in is let’s win the AFC West,” Patrick Mahomes said. "That’s our first goal ... (and) we accomplished our first goal.”

Jerick McKinnon had a 26-yard touchdown run in overtime and the Chiefs got three touchdowns from Mahomes in the win.

The Chiefs (11-3) got the ball first in overtime, but had to punt it away after Mahomes was sacked by Blake Cashman on third down. Texans quarterback Davis Mills fumbled on a scramble on Houston’s first play, and it was recovered by Kansas City's Willie Gay on the Texans’ 26.

McKinnon, who also had a TD reception, dashed untouched into the end zone on the next play.

He said Mahomes reminded him before the play to keep two hands on the ball.

“I said: ‘I’m about to score,’” McKinnon said. “Juju (Smith-Schuster) looked at me and said: ‘I’ve got your block, bro. Just find me when you get out there’. And it worked out exactly like that.”

Houston (1-12-1) tied it at 24 on a 29-yard field goal with about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had a chance to win it in regulation, but Harrison Butker’s 51-yard attempt was wide right.

Kansas City overcame two turnovers and a season-high 102 penalty yards to win for the seventh time in eight games.

Mills threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns sharing time at quarterback with Jeff Driskel. The Texans dropped their ninth straight game for their longest skid since losing the final 14 games of the 2013 season.

Kansas City’s streak of division titles is tied with the Rams (1973-79) for the second-longest in NFL history behind the Patriots, who captured 11 in a row in the AFC East from 2009-2019.

“I think one of the most difficult things in the National Football League is consistent success," Kansas City owner Clark Hunt said. "The rules are designed to make that difficult, whether that’s the draft or the salary cap. So, it’s a real testament to the job that general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid have done over the last several years.”

The Chiefs trailed for much of the day and were behind by five early in the fourth quarter when Mahomes dashed in from 5 yards out. His 2-point conversion pass to McKinnon came next to give Kansas City a 24-21 lead.

Mahomes thew for 336 yards and had touchdown passes of 20 and 4 yards. He has 35 TD passes this season to become the fifth player in NFL history with 35 or more touchdown tosses in four or more seasons, joining Tom Brady (6), Aaron Rodgers (6), Drew Brees (4) and Peyton Manning (4).

Mahomes, who is from Tyler, Texas, and starred at Texas Tech, played his first NFL game in the state in his sixth professional season. The crowd was overwhelmingly made up of Chiefs fans, many of whom wore his No. 15 jersey. A handful donned his scarlet and black Texas Tech jersey.

The Chiefs piled up 502 yards to set a franchise record with their 19th straight game with at least 300 yards, and it was their ninth in a row with more than 400 yards.

Travis Kelce had 102 yards receiving and Smith-Schuster had 88 yards receiving for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs led 16-14 after a field goal early in the third and were driving again when Tremon Smith forced a fumble by Smith-Schuster that the Texans recovered near midfield. It wasn’t ruled a fumble initially, but Houston challenged the call and it was reversed.

The Chiefs will host Seattle this Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon. The game will be carried on KFEQ (680, 95.3) and Q Country 92.7 FM in St. Joseph.