After nearly a month of waiting and waiting, nearly a month of NFL analysts talking about "rust", it was time for the Kansas City Chiefs to put it all on the line back on the field at Arrowhead Stadium. They did so with a great 23-14 victory over a Houston Texans team that dominated the L.A. Chargers the week prior.
While the win was a full team effort, including special teams, a few players deserved a special game ball for their valiant efforts.
Game Ball #1: George Karlaftis
"Furious George" Karlaftis made a name for himself over the past two seasons as one of the Chiefs' better pass rushers, but to have the best statistical game of his three-year career so far when the game mattered most is why he deserves yet another game ball.
Three of the Chiefs' eight sacks were Karlaftis simply beating his man and all of them came in the fourth quarter when the game was still a one-possession affair and sacks were needed to put Houston down. His first sack, a 16-yard sack on a pivotal 4th down with 10 minutes to go in the game, roused the crowd together and forced a turnover on downs.
George Karlaftis takes down Stroud for a turnover on downs!
ā NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025
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Nearly five minutes later, he added the Chiefs' fifth sack of the night after blowing by the Texans' RT and tight end Dalton Schultz when Houston was setting up a big play that was necessary for them to even sniff a possible comeback.
Fifth Chiefs sack of the night! š¤
ā NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
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But nothing compared to the monumental sack that marked Karlaftis' first-ever three-sack game which came at one of the biggest moments of the game. Just after the two-minute warning, the Texans had a solid play lined up on third-and-ten, and Karlaftis decided to just go all the way around the right tackle and push the Texans' chip-blocking running back away before a four-yard sack forced a 4th-and-14.
KARLAFTIS AGAIN. His 3rd sack of the game and KCās 8th!
ā NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
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At the end of the game Karlaftis finished with five tackles (third-most on the team), four QB hits, and three sacks. Simply a huge game for the third-year DE out of Purdue.
All-in-all, Karlaftis proved he is the Chiefs' second-best pass rusher and also that he's going to deserve that mega-millions deal likely to be offered in the next two years (hopefully by Kansas City). Now the Bills or the Ravens, whoever wins, will have to make a game plan for the likes of Chris Jones, Charles Omenihu, and "Furious George" who is now going to look for his 12th sack of the 2024 season.
Game Ball #2: Travis Kelce
Another obvious answer, I know, but after weeks of people claiming #87 was "washed" or starting to decline after his second-straight season under 1,000 receiving yards, he came out and silenced his detractors while simultaneously making his girlfriend and Caitlin Clark scream up in their suite.
Kelce's 7 receptions for 117 yards (16.7 ypc) was his fifth-best playoff performance based off yardage, just one yard behind his 118-yard performance that saw two touchdowns against the Bills back in 2021's 38-24 victory. But this game was different for a litany of reasons.
35 years old. Fixed between the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown. And yet Kelce still destroyed the Texans' defense with little zone reads, finding himself in small pockets and turning small gains into huge gains thanks to YAC that reminded Chiefs Kingdom of his 28-year-old self.
Travis Kelce rumbles for 49 yards!
ā NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025
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Throw in the fact that this was Kelce's ninth-career 100-yard postseason game (the most in NFL history) and it's obvious why Kelce deserves yet another game ball even without the score. That touchdown catch was Kelce's 18th from Mahomes, by the way, and it might have actually been the most impressive of his career simply because of the way that Mahomes got him the score.
MAHOMES TD TO KELCE AS HE FALLS DOWN
ā NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025
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After getting some rest, Kelce looked like a kid again, and hopefully next week versus the Bills or the Ravens, his age won't show through much like it didn't this week. But even if it does, the man is obviously TE1 in NFL history at this point and he could become the best pass-catcher in NFL postseason history by the time it's all said and done.
Game Ball #3: Nikko Remigio
Chiefs fans all around the world were fascinated to see how the team would come out after three weeks off, and no one could have predicted the divisional round would begin with such a spark. A 63-yard kickoff return by Nikko Remigio to start the game set the Chiefs up in great field position (which they used to score a measly three points), and it was just the spark that Arrowhead and the team needed for the afternoon.
Big return to open the game. Ball is loose but Chiefs recover.
ā NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2025
šŗ: #HOUvsKC on ESPN/ABC
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Remigio had 110 yards on just kick returns, plus another 11 on a punt return, which helped give Patrick Mahomes some of the best starting field positions he's had all season long. And this all comes after a season where players like Mecole Hardman, Samaje Perine, and Carson Steele all got the nod at KR over him.
Obviously, Remigio fumbled the ball at the end of that opening run, but since the Chiefs recovered, all's well that ends well. Hopefully, this means he is amping up for an even bigger game this next Sunday and beyond.
Honorable Mentions:
Patrick Mahomes: "Playoff Pat" is known for his big plays, especially with his legs, and he proved it again against Houston. 16/25 for 177 yards through the air and one touchdown might not sound like Game Ball numbers but his big scrambles for first downs once again kept drives alive and proved he is as much of a dual threat as anybody when it
Kareem Hunt: Once again the former Browns running back showed that he should never have been on the couch to begin the season. His touchdown was the first of the 2024 NFL's divisional round and it looked so, so easy from the one-yard line. He's also proved that he could likely be RB1 over Isiah Pacheco, especially since he came back from injury, which might just be the case whenever Sunday night comes around after his eight carries for 44 yards (5.5 ypc).