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Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs gets a pass away during their win over the Houston Texans. SIPA USA/PA Images
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Chiefs obliterate 24-point deficit against Texans to secure AFC Championship berth

An incredible game at Arrowhead Stadium.

PATRICK MAHOMES THREW for five touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs overturned a 24-point deficit to defeat the Houston Texans 51-31 in a thrilling NFL playoff duel on Sunday.

Chiefs quarterback Mahomes finished with 321 passing yards from 23 of 35 attempts at Arrowhead Stadium to send the Chiefs into a home AFC Championship showdown against the Tennessee Titans next weekend for a place in the Super Bowl.

But the Chiefs were given an almighty scare after the Texans raced to an early 24-0 lead following a disastrous start.

An error-strewn opening spell saw the Texans score unanswered touchdowns from Kenny Stills, Lonnie Johnson and Darren Fells to move into a 21-point lead.

But with the Chiefs reeling, the Texans gave the hosts respite from the onslaught early in the second quarter with Houston coach Bill O’Brien opting for the safety-first option of a field goal on fourth down and 1 from 31 yards. Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled the kick to put Houston into a 24-0 lead.

But momentum shifted on the ensuing kickoff when Mecole Hardman returned 58 yards to the Houston 42-yard line. Two plays later, Mahomes hit Damien Williams from 17 yards to make it 24-7 and put the Chiefs on the board.

Kansas City were then gifted another opening after a risky decision by O’Brien to fake punt on fourth down inside the Texans half. The move backfired and the Chiefs took over possession, with Mahomes finding tight end Travis Kelce from five yards for a touchdown.

A disastrous spell for the Texans then saw DeAndre Carter fumble the kickoff return, allowing the Chiefs to recover at the Houston six. Three plays later, Mahomes hit Kelce for the tight end’s second touchdown to close the gap to 24-21.

The blitz continued after Houston punted away their next possession, Mahomes marching the Chiefs 90 yards upfield before flipping a short pass to Kelce into the end zone to hand them a 28-24 lead at halftime.

The scoring continued through the second half, with Williams adding two rushing touchdown to put the Chiefs 41-24 ahead.

Watson rushed for a five-yard touchdown to put the Texans back to within 10 points but the Chiefs added another touchdown followed by a field goal to extend their lead at 51-31.

NFL / YouTube

© – AFP, 2020

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