KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes stalked up and down the sideline like a field marshal rallying his troops, imploring the Kansas City Chiefs to stay together even as the Houston Texans were taking them apart.
The Chiefs already faced a 24-point hole, bigger than any deficit they had overcome in franchise history.
"The biggest thing I was preaching," Mahomes said later, "was, 'Let's go do something special. Everybody is counting us out. Let's go out there and play by play put it out there.'"
Beginning with the first of his five touchdown passes, Mahomes and the Chiefs chipped away. They continued to gain momentum, outscoring the Texans 28-0 in the second quarter alone, and eventually ran off 41 consecutive points before cruising to a 51-31 victory Sunday that propelled Kansas City into the AFC championship game for the second consecutive season.
The Chiefs (13-4) became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game by at least 20 points after trailing by at least 20. Travis Kelce and Damien Williams scored three touchdowns, joining the 49ers' Jerry Rice and Ricky Watters in Super Bowl 29 as the only teammates to score that many times in a postseason game.
Mahomes finished with 321 yards passing, becoming the first player in postseason history with at least 300 yards passing and five touchdowns while running for at least 50 yards.
Deshaun Watson, meanwhile, threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns while running for one, but could not bail out the Texans (11-7) after their calamitous second quarter and dismal third.
The result: The Texans are 0-4 in the divisional round and have never won a road playoff game.
