Texans QB C.J. Stroud Had Added Motivation vs. Chiefs on SNF

The Houston Texans, after the results of last year's AFC divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs that effectively ended their season, they were hungry to get some redemption on Sunday Night Football in order to extend their expansive win streak, while also forcing a big hit onto the Chiefs' own playoff chances.

And that's exactly what wound up transpiring, as the Chiefs were swallowed up by the Texans defense, and the offense led by C.J. Stroud were able to do enough for a 20-10 victory, found a bit of vengeance from the crushing blow suffered last January.

For Stroud, that playoff loss was able to provide him and the rest of the Texans with a bit of extra motivation heading into the night, and in the end, allowed them to get over the hump in a tough road environment.

"It's big time," Stroud said after the Texans' win. "Ended our season here last year, and kind of had a bad taste in your mouth. We were all motivated to win this game, and do the right things to win the game. It's a blessing, but always things to clean up. Offensively, we've got to be better in the second half, but I thought we played hard."

"In December, you want to get wins, and that's all that really matters."

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greet each other after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-Imagn Images | Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

Texans Had Extra Motivation After Last Year's Playoff Loss

Even while head coach DeMeco Ryans had downplayed that rivalry aspect before the weekend had gotten rolling, the writing was on the wall for what this game meant for the Texans–– this one was a must-win, and especially so against the team that knocked them out last postseason.

And thanks to a complementary effort on both ends, those recent woes against Kansas City were finally put to rest, and for the Chiefs, it forces them into a deep hole to climb out of if they want any shot at a postseason appearance.

It wasn't the most perfect day for the Texans en route to what would be an eighth victory on the year. The offense made a few pre-snap mistakes, Stroud was still sacked three times behind his offensive line, and in the second half, the scoring unit as a whole appeared to slow up a bit before catching fire later in the fourth.

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For Stroud, that allows room to grow and thin to fix heading into the coming four weeks of the year, but for now, they can get a win and learn from it later.

"The pressure, the blitz, we've just got to be better with ID'ing it better. Me, throwing our hots, trying to make plays," Stroud said after the game. "Got to be better on first down, that's really the key. If we can get to third and shorts, and third and mediums, that helps us out."

"I wouldn't even consider this a completely ugly game. Of course, there's a bunch of things to clean up... You can get a win and learn from it later, but we've got to fix a lot of things."

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