The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans in Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season, and it needed overtime to decide an outcome when it definitely shouldn’t have. The Chiefs officiating was at its worst and despite all that, KC pulled one out of a hat. Although one could argue this was a hard-fought victory on the Chiefs’ behalf, the more considerable argument was what Kansas City allowed to happen rather than what they accomplished.
Chiefs Officiating Brought on By One Man with Beef with Kansas City
A 10-3, a division-leading team should not struggle against the worst team in the entire league, and that is exactly what Kansas City fell victim to today. Some of this was in no thanks part to the officiating, which was questionable at best and horrid at worst. It also didn’t help that the primary official in charge of this contest was Carl Cheffers, a man that many Chiefs fans despise since his sloppy performance in Super Bowl LV, where the Chiefs had nearly 3 times as many flags as the Buccaneers. But enough about the lack of Chiefs officiating in that game.
The Texans struck first toward the end of the opening quarter with an 8-yard TD pass, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive that took almost 9 of the first 15 minutes. Before this, each team had gone 3 and out twice, one of those 4 being the only drive that contained more than 5 plays. In the 2nd quarter, however, Kansas City tied things up, and they took considerably less time to do so, with Jerick McKinnon’s 20-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes capping Kansas City’s first scoring drive of the day, totaling 7 plays in 75 yards in 3:34. Houston would retake the lead a couple of minutes later, however, thanks to QB Davis Mills’ 17-yard scamper.
The final score of the 1st half belonged to Kansas City, and it was Marques-Valdes Scantling catching a 4-yard lob from Mahomes to put the Chiefs within 1. K Harrison Butker, however, missed yet another extra point attempt, putting KC down by 1 heading to the locker room.
Butker Continues to Struggle with Kicks Exacerbated by Chiefs Officiating
Starting the 2nd half, KC would fumble at their own 22-yard line, leading to a quick Houston TD in just 2 plays to give the Texans the lead back at 14-7 with 9:19 to go. This was also Houston’s 2nd drive of the 2nd half; they had gone 3 and out in their opening possession. After the bad turnover, Kansas City was again forced to a 3 and out but at least forced Houston to do the same.
Now, Butker actually made a field goal from 27, seemingly ending his bad luck. The next Chiefs drive, however, went south, as they fumbled again for their 2nd turnover of the game, this time at Houston’s 36. The Texans would convert this mistake into another touchdown, taking a 21-16 lead with 1:25 left in the 3rd. Kansas City would respond, however, retaking the lead 24-21 from a 5-yard Mahomes scamper plus a McKinnon 2-point conversion.
Houston, however, wasn’t done, and they tied the game with 5:11 left in the 4th. After another miss by Butker, this one a 56-yard FG attempt, the two teams headed for overtime. I don’t think any of this was caused by Chiefs officiating, but you never know. Kansas City went 3 and out on their opening possession, giving the Texans a shot at a major upset. However, Willie Gay had other ideas, stripping Mills of the pigskin and giving KC the ball back at Houston’s 26. Then, Jerick McKinnon ran away from everyone to win the game on the ensuing play.
To put it simply, this game was won by the Chiefs because Kansas City fought til the very end to pull one out of their hats. Call it Mahomes magic, but the real MVP was Jerick the Jet. Cheffers’ Chiefs officiating proved no match in their quest to achieve their 7th straight AFC West crown. Next week, Kansas City faces Seattle on Christmas Eve. Hopefully, the Chiefs officiating there won’t be nearly as bad as it was today.
See also: Chargers’ playoff hopes spark out with Raiders defeat
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