Texans vs. Chiefs: Texans comeback attempt falls short, 27-20

The Houston Texans went into the half trailing 27-9 after quarterback Brian Hoyer struggled to get anything going with the offense. An interception on his first throw and a later fumble led to 14 of the Kansas City points.

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In the second half Hoyer still struggled to move the ball at all and was replaced in the fourth quarter by backup quarterback Ryan Mallett. The 6’6″ passer moved the team down the field quickly and hooked up with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a score. The two then hooked up again for a 2-point conversion to pull within ten.

Houston got the ball back and kicker Randy Bullock, who missed an earlier extra point, nailed a 47-yard field goal to make it a one-score game with just 1:24 left to play.

The Chiefs were able to recover the onside kickoff to seal the win as the Texans fall to 0-1 on the season.

For the game Hoyer ended up with 236 yards on 18 of 34 passes with one touchdown and one interception. Mallett finished 8 of 13 for 98 yards and one touchdown.

Receivers Nate Washington and DeAndre Hopkins both had big games as Hopkins finished with 92 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns. Washington finished with 6 catches for 105 yards.

The running game performed well with Alfred Blue leading the way with 42 yards on nine rushes. Houston however was not able to stick with the running game much at all as they trailed for the majority of the game.

Defensive end J.J. Watt recorded two sacks on the day but the defense as whole struggled the entire first half as they were carved up by tight end Travis Kelce, who recorded 6 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

The Texans did hold the Chiefs scoreless in the second half. That coupled with the life the offense had once Hoyer was benched gives the team some hope as they get ready to face the Carolina Panthers on the road next week.