The 2024 season came to a brutal end for the Houston Texans on Sunday, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-14 in the Divisional round of the playoffs. While the team did pick up a second straight AFC South title this year, a massive upset in the first round of the playoffs, and ultimately lost to a team seeking the league’s first ever three peat, the ending was still pretty bitter.
The reason it was a bitter end is because Saturday’s game was one the Texans could’ve won. However, several missed opportunities, and questionable officiating, ultimately cost the team the game. Through it all, Houston had some guys that showed up and still delivered, but also had some players like the offensive line hoping to forget their performances.
Let’s take a look at three winners and two losers for Houston from Saturday’s game.
3 winners from Texans’ playoff loss to Chiefs
C.J. Stroud
All season long, C.J. Stroud received a lot of criticism about how he didn’t look like the rookie sensation he was a year ago. However, he had to navigate a struggling offensive line and an injured group of wide receivers. Those issues once again plagued him in Saturday’s loss, but he still stood tall and fought until the end.
Stroud completed 19-of-28 passes for 245 yards, and also carried the ball six times for 42 yards. It certainly wasn’t his best game, but he kept Houston in the game until the end, while also clearly battling injuries.
Will Anderson Jr.
With everyone tuned in on Saturday, Will Anderson Jr. showed the world what Texans fans already knew: he’s one of the best defenders in the world. His day got started early with a clean third-down pressure, but the referees stole the moment and called a controversial roughing the passer penalty.
While that affected the game, it didn’t affect the day Anderson had. He went on to have four total tackles, three for a loss, and two sacks. He also had two additional quarterback hits. It was an elite day for the second-year defensive end.
Xavier Hutchinson
With two of Houston’s top wideouts sidelined, the Texans knew they’d need some receivers to step up if they were going to have a chance to win. Xavier Hutchinson did that, having the best game of his career. Targeted six times, he caught four passes for 52 yards. While not a lot, it was a productive building moment as the young receiver concludes his second year.
2 losers from Texans’ playoff loss to Chiefs
Kris Boyd
On the very first play of the game, Kris Boyd had a really bad moment that got the Texans off to a bad start. He spiked his helmet on the field, and was penalized for it, and then was captured on camera pushing special teams coordinator Frank Ross. That moment, alone, lands him in the loser category.
Ka’imi Fairbairn
Saturday was certainly a day to forget for Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. He was 2-of-4 on field goal attempts, with a very ugly miss, and also missed his only extra-point attempt of the day. Those few points here and there really affect how the game unfolds, especially the missed extra point that would’ve tied the game. So while the final score could make it seem like those misses were inconsequential, that couldn’t be further from the truth.