It did not take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to make magic on the field. With most of their starters returning after several weeks off, the old rest vs. rust question was in play. However, on the opening kick return, a 63-yard run followed by a fumble recovery left the Chiefs in ideal position.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for the Houston Texans, thanks to a costly mistake by Kris Boyd on the sideline.
Kris Boyd Loses His Mind on the Sideline
Right as he came out of the huddle, with the ball declared to be in the Chiefs’ possession, Boyd threw off his helmet, earning a 15-yard penalty.
When Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross yelled at him, Boyd lost it, rushing over to the sideline and pushing in the chest.
The Texans' Kris Boyd shoves special teams coordinator Frank Ross.
Yikes. #NFL pic.twitter.com/pZNQfLEkFr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 18, 2025
Boyd’s mistake added another 15 yards to the Chiefs’ long return, landing them squarely in the red zone to begin their opening drive. Even though they didn’t convert on a touchdown, it did give them an easy field goal to open their postseason.
Immediately, a number of people criticized Boyd, with some calling for his release.
“welp this is kris boyd’s last game as a texan,” one fan said.
welp this is kris boyd’s last game as a texan pic.twitter.com/8jKGUcRGi0
— Teddy💛 (@Teddy_20) January 18, 2025
However, it’s worth noting that Boyd hasn’t been removed from the game — he was back out there on the next kickoff.
Others rushed to defend Boyd, including NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
“Texans CB Kris Boyd gets into it with special teams coach Frank Ross,” Schultz posted. “Seems like a big deal, but it’s not: This is the playoffs! Emotions run high and dudes are passionate!
#Texans CB Kris Boyd gets into it with special teams coach Frank Ross.
Seems like a big deal, but it’s not: This is the playoffs! Emotions run high and dudes are passionate! pic.twitter.com/nwjvPfhag5
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 18, 2025
For a Houston team that entered this game with no margin for error, Boyd added to an already monstrous hill that Houston has to climb.
Texans-Chiefs by the Numbers
In Week 16, the Chiefs defeated the Texans 27-19. Patrick Mahomes registered his fifth-best QB+ score of the season. As for C.J. Stroud, his QB+ score was his best of the final five weeks of the regular season.
The Chiefs’ OFF+ score was their sixth-best of the season against Houston. Their highest OFF+ score (83.0) came in Week 17 against the Steelers, the last time key Chiefs offensive starters played. Also, the Chiefs recorded four of their seven best DEF+ scores from Week 13 onward, including the Week 16 game against the Texans. As for Houston, the Texans’ DEF+ score was their third-worst of the season against KC.
So, the biggest hope for Houston was for Kansas City to come out rusty. But, even if that were to be the case on offense, three points came up on the board in rapid time, rendering the point essentially moot.
Instead, they might look to switch coverages to cause Mahomes some problems which they couldn’t in Week 16.
Houston deployed a different coverage strategy in their Week 16 matchup against the Chiefs. The Texans used Cover 1 on 40% of defensive plays, their highest rate in any game with DeMeco Ryans (regular season or playoffs). For perspective, Houston has played Cover 1 on only 19.5% of its plays against all other opponents in 2024.
Mahomes took full advantage of that coverage decision. He went 11/17 for 147 yards (8.6 yards per attempt) against Houston’s Cover 1, marking his highest passing yardage against that coverage in a single game all season. During the regular season, Mahomes ranked fourth in success rate (54%) against Cover 1.
The good news for the Texans is that they have an effective alternative. Quarters was Houston’s second-most common coverage during the regular season (17.4%). However, they deployed Quarters just twice in Week 16.
With PFN’s Playoff Predictor giving Houston less than a 30% chance to win, let’s see if they can overcome this early snafu.
