Chiefs leave no doubt in ending 22-year drought
Knile Davis returns opening kickoff 106 yards, then defense dominates in K.C.’s first playoff win since 1994.
HOUSTON — After 22 years without a playoff victory, the Kansas City Chiefs were determined not to give up the lead this time.
The Chiefs had enough points to win after jumping ahead 7-0 in the first 11 seconds, and they used relentless pressure, five turnovers and a ball-control offense to dominate the Houston Texans, 30-0, in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs Saturday.
They were especially cognizant of not letting up after blowing a 28point lead in a loss to the Colts in their last playoff game in 2013.
“What happened to us a couple years ago, everybody remembers, even the coaches included, so our entire mentality is about finishing,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “The mentality doesn’t change.”
They finished off the Texans early, and they had the hometown fans booing by the second quarter. Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer had the worst game of his career with four interceptions and a fumble. The Texans’ defense kept them close in the first half, but J.J. Watt left with an injury in the third quarter, Jadeveon Clowney never even put on his jersey and the Chiefs were able to close the game out in the second half.
The Chiefs extended their NFLbest winning streak to 11 games and will face second-seeded New England next week.
“We wanted to come in and dominate,” Chiefs safety Eric Berry said. “Right now we are locked in and ready for next week.”
On the opening kickoff, Knile Davis got three good blocks around the 10-yard line and then outran the rest of the defenders for a 106yard return, the second-longest kickoff-return touchdown in postseason history.
“It was a huge deal, man. It set the tempo,” Davis said.
The defense took over after that, forcing Hoyer into a fumble and a three of his career-high four interceptions before halftime as the Chiefs (12-5) built a 13-0 lead.
“I made some bad decisions that really hurt the team,” Hoyer said.
Smith threw a touchdown pass late in the third to cap a 94-year drive, and Spencer Ware added a five-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 27-0.
The victory breaks a streak of eight consecutive playoff losses by the Chiefs and is their first postseason win since beating the Oilers in Houston on Jan. 16, 1994. That team was led by Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.
“Was it 1994? I didn’t feel it, but I know how important it is too,” Coach Andy Reid said. “You get to the playoffs, and first round, if things don’t go well, that rips your heart out.”