After a one-year sabbatical, Arrowhead Stadium will resume its role as the host of the AFC Championship, following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-14 victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday, Jan. 18.
The Chiefs struck first with a 32-yard Harrison Butker field goal, set up by Nico Remigio’s 63-yard opening kickoff return. The Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn responded with a 30-yard field goal, matched on the next drive by Butker from 36. Fairbairn’s attempt to tie the game back up from 55 yards went wide right, setting up the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive, capped by a one-yard run by Kareem Hunt. The Texans added a Fairbairn field goal from 48 yards to end the half with the Chiefs ahead 13-6.
The Texans sought to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field, as their first drive of the second half went for nearly ten-and-a-half minutes and tallied 82 yards, resulting in a 13-yard touchdown by Joe Mixon. Fairbairn’s extra point attempt would have tied the game had it not gone wide right, and the Texans would never recover. The next drive saw the Chiefs go 81 yards and set up for a record-breaking score, an 11-yard diving touchdown pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce. It was Kelce’s 21st playoff touchdown pass, putting him one away from tying the NFL record set by Jerry Rice.
Kelce ignited in the chilly weather, achieving his record ninth playoff game with over 100 yards of catching yards as he caught seven passes for 117 yards, including a 49-yard pass play. Mahomes went 16-for-25 for 177 yards, but endured three sacks. By comparison, Houston quarterback CJ Stroud completed 19 out of 28 passes for 245 yards. However, the Chiefs defense made him earn those yards as they sacked him eight times, including a crucial fourth down stop on the next drive
The Chiefs would tack on another Butker field goal from 27 yards, while Fairbairn would see his playoff appearance nearly match that of Lin Elliott’s by way his field goal attempt being blocked by Leo Chenal, effectively sealing the game. The Chiefs conceded a safety with eight seconds remaining in an effort to run out the clock.
The win means Arrowhead Stadium will host the AFC Championship for the sixth time in seven years, with the Chiefs’ three-peat bid well on its way. The winner of Sunday’s Baltimore at Buffalo game will make their way to KC next Sunday night. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m.