The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs kicked off on Saturday afternoon with an AFC duel between the Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs. Not only was it a rematch of their meeting in Kansas City on Dec. 21, it marked their second Divisional Round matchup since 2019. Here are the winners and losers from the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win over the Texans.
Winner: Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Entering the Divisional Round with the second-most career receiving yards (1,903) in NFL playoffs history, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce keeps defying Father Time in the postseason. He was the lone bright spot on this Chiefs’ offense, getting open over the middle of the field and making big plays after the catch. With Taylor Swift in attendance, Kelce demonstrated once again why he’s one of the best tight ends of all time. He’s also now just the second player in NFL history with 2,000 career receiving yards in the playoffs.
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Loser: Kris Boyd, CB, Houston Texans
If you’re a star player in the NFL, there are a lot of things you can get away with. Houston Texans cornerback Kris Boyd is not that. The 28-year-old entered Saturday with 6 career starts in 81 games played since entering the league in 2019. He primarily plays special teams. Boyd made a play, stripping Nikko Remigio of the football. However, he followed that up with a 15-yard penalty for throwing his helmet off after the play and then he shoved his coach and started shouting at him. Boyd is very replaceable and he might find that out very soon all because of something he could’ve avoided.
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Winner: Will Anderson Jr, EDGE, Houston Texans
Will Anderson Jr. did everything possible to lead the Houston Texans to an upset win. He sacked Patrick Mahomes twice and had multiple QB hits, feasting on the Chiefs’ offensive line. He also made a phenomenal play in the backfield to take down Xavier Worthy for an 8-yard loss. Houston might not have won this game, but Anderson Jr. proved he’s one of the best NFL players on the defensive side of the ball in 2025.
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Loser: Ka’imi Fairbairn, K, Houston Texans
You have to be almost perfect to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL playoffs. If you can’t be perfect, the mistakes can’t wipe points off the board. Unfortunately for the Houston Texans, that’s exactly what Ka’imi Fairbairn did. One of the best kickers in the NFL during the regular season, Fairbairn’s missed field goals and extra point took 7 points off the board and that proved to be a massive difference in this game.
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Winner: George Karlaftis and the Kansas City Chiefs pass rush
Both defensive lines feasted on Saturday. While it was more of a one-man show for the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs; pass rush delivered a remarkable joint effort in the Divisional Round. Chris Jones had 2 QB hits and 1 sack, but his presence also opened things up for Charles Omenihu (1 sack), Felix Anudike-Uzomah (1 sack), Tershawn Wharton (1 sack) and George Karlaftis (3 sacks).
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Loser: NFL officiating, roughing the passer
Unnecessary roughness hits and roughing the passer needs to be reviewable or NFL rules must be revisited. We understand the need to protect players’ safety, especially the biggest money-makers in the National Football League, but neither of the flagged ‘illegal’ hits on Patrick Mahomes were even close to being good calls by the letter of the rulebook. Games are being decided by these absurd penalties and while NFL fans will keep watching, no matter what, something must be changed to make this a more legitimate version of football.
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