Tag: Chiefs vs. Texans

NFL fine against Texans RB Joe Mixon reissued, this time for his actual rcomments

Instead of just admitting they were wrong, the NFL still plans on going after Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon for dumb comments.

The NFL still plans to fine Houston Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon for his comments following Saturday’s 24-13 loss in the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs.

This time, the league office is actually going to fine him for his comments and not that of former Cincinnati Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Following the loss, Mixon mentioned the officiating in the locker room after the loss and how two plays against Patrick Mahomes factored into the outcome.

“Everybody knows how it is playing up here,” Mixon said. “You can never leave it into the refs’ hands. The whole world sees what it is, bro, but it is what it is.”

The NFL fined the Texans’ top rusher $25,000 for tweeting postgame, “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs? These officials are trash and bias.”

Here’s the problem: Mixon never tweeted that. Houshmandzadeh had tweeted it during the game while Mixon and Houston were trying to mount a comeback. 

After Mixon called out the league for the wrongful error, the league reissued the $25,000 fine for his actual comments made in the locker room. Right after the fine was released, Mixon hopped back on X, formerly known as Twitter, calling it a “cold world.”

“So, let me get this straight. NFL fines me 25k for something I didn’t even say. Call them out for it, and (their) response was fine me AGAIN for something that’s not even a violation without even rescinding the first one,” Mixon tweeted. “Where’s the accountability? Just respect the players.” 

Peter Schaffer, Mixon’s agent, told ESPN they were already planning to appeal the fine and will still appeal it under the new issue.

“We will defend Joe and have appealed the fine and will explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation,” Schaffer said. “This has to stop.” 

Texans’ DeMeco Ryans not concerned with Kris Boyd incident in playoff game

DeMeco Ryans wasn’t concerned with the altercation on the field between Kris Boyd and special teams coach Frank Ross, but rather what led to it.

Kris Boyd drew headlines after shoving Houston Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross on the opening play of the AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was more upset that the special teams’ star threw his helmet off before the play was over, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, setting up Kansas City inside the red zone.

“We can’t lose our minds in that sense of taking our helmet off, we still have to remain poised,” Ryans said on Monday. “You cannot take your helmet off in a game. Everyone knows and understands the rules. So instead of helping us, it ended up hurting us.”

Boyd said after the game that he was “turnt” after causing a fumble and thought Houston had recovered the ball. When he came to the sidelines, the shove was out of enthusiasm and the situation was a big misunderstanding.

“That’s not in my character,” Boyd said. “I love everybody here. I love my coaches. I would never disrespect anybody. I love Frank. I’m a God-fearing man. I respect everybody in that building.”

When asked about the situation, Ryans echoed a similar thought.


“I don’t think he was pushing Frank in a disrespectful manner. I think it was more, so he was fired-up, overly fired-up and thought he made a play to help us,” Ryans said. “So, that narrative that he’s pushing a coach, that is incorrect.”

Boyd apologized to Ross and re-entered the game after Houston tied it 3-3 following a 30-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn. The 15 yards wouldn’t lead to a touchdown, but it did factor into a 23-14 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

Still, Ryans was far from pleased with Houston starting Saturday off on the wrong foot, whether or not Ross and Boyd made amends afterward.

“That’s not what we teach, that’s not what we’re about at all,” Ryans said Saturday. “For us to be here in this moment and to throw our helmet? We know the rules and we know we can’t do that. It just puts us in a negative light to start the game. We give them a big return, we take our helmet off to add 15 more yards to the play, it’s just not smart football.”

The Texans will select 25th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Texans make history for wrong reasons in divisional round loss

The Houston Texans made the wrong type of history on Saturday in the AFC Divisional Round

The Houston Texans made history on Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s too bad it was history for the wrong reason.

The Texans became the first team in playoff history to lose despite outgaining their opponent by 100-plus yards and not having a turnover. Prior to Saturday’s 24-13 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, teams were 49-0 when accomplishing the feat.

Even with the two egregious penalties, the Texans’ inability to protect C.J. Stroud resulted in the AFC South champions’ demise. Stroud was sacked eight times, including four on the final full offensive drive.

Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce seven times for 117 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to push the Chiefs ahead by eight. Houston was flagged eight times, including two calls against Mahomes that led to scoring drives.

“We knew going into this game that it was us versus everybody. When I say everybody, I mean everybody,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. ‘The naysayers that doubt, everybody we had to go against today. With that knowledge going into this game and who we were up against, we can’t make the mistakes that we made. We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes that happened. Whether it was special teams not converting our kicks, defensively not being where we were supposed to be in coverage, offensively not protecting the quarterback and keeping him clean.”

The Texans finish the season with an 11-8 record. They’ll pick 25th overall in the upcoming NFL draft on April 25.

Updated 2025 NFL draft order after Divisional Round

With the divisional round officially in the books, here’s the latest draft order heading into the conference title games.

The Houston Texans now know when they’re on the clock.

With the divisional round officially over, the first 28 picks of the 2025 NFL draft order have been finalized.

Twenty-four picks were set entering the weekend but with the Texans, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens four more picks have been confirmed.

The Texans will pick at No. 25. The Lions, who were shocked at Ford Field on Saturday night against the Washington Commanders, will pick at No. 28 after securing a 15-2 record.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans are now on the clock following a nine-point loss to Houston while donning the Oilers uniforms.

Here’s an updated look at the 2025 NFL draft order following wild-card weekend action, courtesy of the folks at Tankathon:

Texans Kris Boyd explains shove on Frank Ross following special teams error

Kris Boyd said following Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs his altercation with Frank Ross came from a place of love.

Sometimes, the camera only catches the act instead of the context.

That seems to be the case with Houston Texans cornerback Kris Boyd’s altercation with special teams coordinator Fronk Ross on the opening drive of Saturday’s 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

After allowing a 63-yard return to Chiefs Nikko Remigio, the veteran cornerback was able to strip the ball loose. That led to a scramble between the two sides in a race to recover the ball.

But Boyd ran towards the sidelines in celebration after causing the fumble. He then took off his helmet and threw it near Houston’s sidelines while his teammates continued to go after the ball.

“I was turnt,” Boyd said. “That first play kickoff, they thought they had a big play and I got the ball out and as I’m getting up, I look at the screen and I see nothing but white (jerseys) and they’re all pointing (Texans’ way). So, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we got the ball, too. Turnover.’ I was just turnt.”

After Kansas City recovered, officials hit Boyd with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the helmet toss. That tacked on 15 yards, thus setting up the Chiefs inside the Texans’ 20 before an offensive snap was called.

But Boyd wasn’t drawing attention to himself. As he returned to the sidelines, he shoved Ross in his chest and continued to yell while wagging his finger.

When asked about that moment, Boyd said the hit came from a place of excitement, not anger.

“I love everybody here. I love my coaches,” Boyd said. “I would never disrespect anybody. I love Frank, I’m a God-fearing man. I respect everybody in that building.”

Boyd told reporters he later apologized to Ross and returned to the game on kickoff following Ka’imi Fairbairn’s first-quarter field goal.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he wasn’t aware of the situation, but that was the least of his concerns since the penalty tacked on 15 yards.

“We can’t come out on the first play and throw our helmet. We understand that’s silly. That’s not what we teach, that’s not what we’re about at all,” the Texans coach said. “For us to be here in this moment and to throw our helmet? We know the rules and we know we can’t do that. It just puts us in a negative light to start the game.”

The Texans end the season with an 11-8 record and move to 0-6 all-time in the divisional round.

Clay Martin gives underwhelming explanation for calls against Texans on Patrick Mahomes hits

Clay Martin explained what he saw on the hit toward Patrick Mahomes that factored into Saturday’s outcome for the Houston Texans.

The Kansas City Chiefs likely would have secured a seventh appearance in the AFC title game without having to rely on officiating.

That doesn’t mean they weren’t given a bit of help from the zebras for a few plays.

NFL fans were furious about two calls that went against the Houston Texans defense on Saturday during the Chiefs’ 23-14 win in an AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Both penalties led to scoring drives for Kansas City, including the ultimate game-sealing 11-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce.

During the third quarter on third down, defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was flagged roughing the passer against Mahomes because he supposedly leaned with the crown of his helmet. The hit made contact with Mahomes’ facemask and chest, thus tacking on 15 yards.

“We knew it was going to be us against the refs going into this game,” Anderson told reporters postgame. “I was just telling them like man, we gotta go out there and do much better. In some instances we didn’t do that, in some instances we did.”

When asked by a pool reporter following the game why the call stood, referee Clay Martin said the evidence was clear to throw the flag.

The second penalty was even more costly. Trailing by one, Mahomes left the pocket and scrambled for a few yards before sliding to stop the play. As he hit the ground, linebacker Henry To’oTo’o and defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi tried to make the tackle but instead collided with each other before grazing the quarterback.

Martin said there was enough evidence for a late hit against a defenseless player call, thus leading to 15 more yards and a first down.

“I had forcible contact there to the hairline, to the helmet,” Martin said.

Neither call provided clear evidence, as Martin claimed, which made the penalties that much more frustrating.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans vented his frustrations postgame on the two hits, though also said the self-inflicted mistakes played a significant factor in Houston’s ultimate demise.

“We knew going into this game, it was us vs. everybody,” said Ryans.”When I say everybody, it’s everybody. All the naysayers, the doubt, everybody we had to go against today. Knowing going into this game what we were up against, we can’t make the mistakes that we made.”

Mahomes, who moved to 7-0 in the divisional round, secured a win at home. That part is far. Houston managed to win nearly every category and still lost by nine.

That part is fact.

Those two penalties weren’t the deciding plays of the game, but they factored into two scoring drives. They also sparked life into Kanas City’s offense at ill-advised times.

Anderson told reporters to go back and watch the game. Kansas City didn’t win, but rather Houston lost in his eyes.

“It was nothing they did. It was all us,” Anderson said. “Busted alignments, out of place, we can’t have that if we want to beat teams like this. Granted, they are a good team, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like we were the better team, but we shot ourselves in the foot again.”

Instant analysis: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce lead Chiefs to victory over Texans

The Houston Texans season has come to an end at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night.

Blame the officiating all you want.

Even with the 30 yards removed, the outcome would have remained near-identical.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce on a diving pass for an 11-yard touchdown, securing the 23-14 win over the Houston Texans in the divisional round at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs became the fourth team in NFL history to follow back-to-back Lombardi Trophies by advancing to the conference title game, and the three previous lost. Kansas City will play host to the winner of Buffalo and Baltimore in the conference championship for a chance to head to the Super Bowl.

The Texans won in multiple facets, despite trailing the entire game. C.J. Stoud finished with more passing yards than the three-time Super Bowl champion.

Joe Mixon and the ground game averaged 5.1 yards per attempt compared to Kansas City’s 2.1.

While Kelce made history with his 117-yard outing, the Texans had more consistent receivers. Nico Collins finished with 81 yards while Dalton Schultz totaled 63 yards.

So, what went wrong? Missed opportunities and blown pass protection.

Stroud, who finished with 245 passing yards, was sacked eight times, including four times on third-down conversions. After connecting with Schultz and Collins for first-down gains, defensive end George Karlaftis beat two pass blockers to record his third sack of the evening.

Houston tried to tack on three points from a 35-yard field goal attempt by Ka’imi Fairbairn, but Leo Chenel timed his jump to block the kick and keep the difference at 11.

Much like in Week 16’s 27-19 loss at Arrowhead, Houston had its chance to tie the game. Joe Mixon capped off a 10-minute drive with a 13-yard run to bring the Texans within one, but Fairbairn’s attempt after traveled right.

Fairbairn also missed a 55-yard field goal as the wind sailed the pass wide right. Those three points would have tied the game at 6-6.

While Stroud faced ample pressure, Mahomes was sacked three times. It could have been more, but several missed holding calls and a roughing the passer play on Will Anderson Jr. during the first quarter negated multiple stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Later in the third quarter, Mahomes became an open-field runner and tried to pick up a first down before sliding for a gain of 6. But linebacker Henry To’oTo’o apparently led with his head as Mahomes was dropping, leading to a late hit call and an extra 15 yards to help set up the Kelce touchdown.

Mahomes improved 16-3 in the playoffs, tying Joe Montana for the second-most wins in NFL postseason history. The two-time regular-season MVP also moved to 7-0 in the divisional round.

Behind Mahomes’ heroics, Chiefs coach Andy Reid became the fourth NFL coach with 300 career wins, joining Don Shula, Bill Belichick and George Halas.

Meanwhile, Houston falls to 0-6 all-time in the divisional round and will return to NRG Stadium with intentions of moving to the conference championship title game in 2026.

The Texans now own the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft come April. Houston must cut ties with several players and coaches this offseason, whether it comes from free agency or straight-up release.

For the second consecutive year, the Texans will finish with double-digit wins in the regular season. For the second consecutive year, their season ends just short of a conference title game.

WATCH: Azeez Al-Shaair gets Texans ready to run through a brick wall

The Houston Texans are ready to go to war with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

If Azeez Al-Shaair doesn’t wake you up and have you ready to run through a brick wall Saturday afternoon, nothing will.

With roughly 30 minutes before kickoff, the Houston Texans veteran linebacker did all the yelling in the team huddle before heading back into the locker room ahead of the AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Players listened. They were locked in. It was clear they were ready for battle.

Here’s a look at the rousing speech below.

The Texans (11-7), fresh off a 32-12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round, can clinch a spot in the conference championship with a win.

The Chiefs (15-2), who secured the No. 1 overall seed, would advance to the seventh straight conference championship appearance if Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid can put together a gameplan.

Is Shaq Mason playing today? Injury updates for Texans RG

Texans offensive lineman Shaq Mason is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates.

While the Houston Texans are headed to the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, one of their star players could be limited in Saturday’s showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Offensive lineman Shaq Mason returned to practice for the first time since Week 16’s loss against the Chiefs after suffering a knee injury on the opening drive. Houston determined that the severity of the injury wasn’t a season-ending issue, but it would require him to rest for several weeks.

On Thursday’s walkthrough, Mason was listed as a full participant, thus signaling a step in the right direction.

Here’s the latest on Mason ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the two AFC contenders in Kansas City.

Shaq Mason injury update

According to KRPC2 Sports Aaron Wilson, Mason is not only expected to play but the veteran is also expected to start at right guard against Kansas City. During his absence, the Texans started Juice Scruggs at right guard for the past two games while Tytus Howard took over as the starting left guard due to injury.

Scruggs has an ankle injury that sidelined him for one of the three practices this week heading into the rematch against Kansas City and is still working his way back to full strength.

NFL Playoff picks: Unlock exclusive data-driven predictions

Texans RG depth chart

Here’s a look at the Texans’ running back options should Mason suffer a setback or leave the game at some point due to aggravation.

  • Juice Scruggs
  • Kenyon Green
  • Kendrick Green
  • Austin Deculus
  • Nick Broeker

Shaq Mason stats

Mason, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, started the first 15 games of the season before injuring his knee against the Chiefs and causing the Texans to shuffle their line for the fourth time this season.

He has started 147 of 152 career games since being drafted in the fourth round out of Georgia Tech in 2015.

Is Azeez Al-Shaair playing today? Injury update for Texans LB

Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates.

While the Houston Texans are headed to the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, one of their star players could be limited in Saturday’s showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair dealt with a knee issue throughout the week of practice and could be limited against top-seeded Kansas City. He did practice all three days but was listed as limited.

Al-Shaair, who inked a three-year contract this offseason with Houston, hasn’t missed a beat since returning from his suspension. He remains a focal point of the Texans’ defense and should remain the dominant force up the middle if healthy enough to play against Kansas City to help the AFC South champions clinch a spot in the conference championship.

Here’s the latest on Al-Shaair ahead of Saturday’s showdown in Kansas City.

Azeez Al-Shaair injury update

Al-Shaair is officially listed as questionable with an ankle injury for Saturday’s contest against Kansas City. According to KPRC2 Sports Aaron Wilson, the veteran linebacker is “good to go” after further testing.

NFL Network reported Saturday morning that Al-Shaair would play despite being limited in practice. He should get the starting nod next to Christian Harris as Houston looks to expand on its two-game winning streak.

NFL Playoff picks: Unlock exclusive data-driven predictions

Texans LB depth chart

Here’s a look at the Texans’ running back options should Al-Shaair be limited for Saturday’s showdown:

  • Christian Harris
  • Henry To’oTo’o
  • Neville Hewitt
  • Del’Shawn Phillips

Azeez Al-Shaair stats

Al-Shaair, the defensive captain remains a focal point of the Texans’ front seven. In 11 games, he’s totaled 70 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and four passs deflections.