3 Houston Texans to blame for letting the Chiefs get away with it again

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Houston Texans, 23-14, in Saturday's Divisional Round matchup. It was a close, hard-fought contest, but the Chiefs executed better down the stretch. Houston's defense was dialed in, but the offense (and special teams most of all) fell painfully short when it mattered most.

This was the expected outcome, of course. The Chiefs lost one game all season with the starters on the field. That said, Kansas City has also been prone to eking out close victories, overcoming slow starts with late-game heroics. This was a game Kansas City led the whole way through, but not on the strength of elite offense.

Houston out-gained Kansas City by 124 yards of total offense in this game. The Chiefs instead relied on Texans special teams gaffes — such as a huge return on the opening kickoff, which led to a sideline scuffle involving Houston's Kris Boyd — and clutch defense, with the Texans succumbing to a wave of sacks in the second half.

The MVP for Kansas City was Steve Spagnuolo. The MVP for Houston was C.J. Stroud, who put together a commendable effort despite operating under constant duress in the pocket.

You're not here for MVPs, though. Let's talk about who deserves the most blame.

3. Shaq Mason and the Texans' O-line were beaten time and time again

Houston right guard Shaq Mason returned from a knee sprain for Saturday's postseason affair. While the Texans were ostensibly happy to get the two-time champ and former Patriots stalwart back on the field, the results were... subpar.

Mason can't take all the blame for what was a collective meltdown from the Texans' O-line, but the 31-year-old did look a step slow out there. This was a tough environment for a return from injury, especially with Spags dialing up blitz after blitz for Kansas City, but Mason needed to perform better. Especially when his understudy, Juice Scruggs, was so effective during Mason's three-game absence.

Truly, though, we can spread the wealth here. Tytus Howard missed a block on a sack right up the gullet. Texans tight end Dalton Schultz missed a few key assignments over the course of the afternoon. It was not Mason alone who was responsible for Stroud's eight sacks, almost of none of which can reasonably be pinned on the quarterback.

Stroud did not have time to process the field and render decisions on Saturday. Immense credit is due to Kansas City's defense, but this was a sorry performance from the Texans' offensive line.

2. Bobby Slowik has lost the support of Texans fans

Bobby Slowik, the Texans' 37-year-old wunderkind offensive coordinator, was a popular name in the head coaching carousel last offseason. He is going to get a couple interviews this cycle, too. That said, the shine has quickly worn off on Slowik, who was hapless against Spagnuolo's notoriously crafty blitzes.

The Texans just couldn't fill gaps or adjust their game plan in the face of constant pressure. The O-line deserves its share of condemnation, but frankly, Slowik has to read what's happening on the field and render changes. Too many times, the pocket collapsed on Stroud before he could even complete his dropback. Rather than leaning more heavily on the run or calling on short, rapid-fire passes to keep the chains moving, Slowik kept dialing up the same plays with the same results.

Houston did put up a respectable 336 yards as a team, mostly by sheer force of will from Stroud. That said, Slowik's inability to adapt late in the game, when Houston's drives stalled and the pressure mounted on Stroud, was galling. The Texans really were in a good position to win this game. Slowik can't fall on the sword for missed kicks or even poor blocking, but he can take criticism for letting Spagnuolo's defense live in the pocket late.

1. Ka'imi Fairbairn was great right up until the Texans needed him most

Ka'imi Fairbairn was among the most dependable kickers in the NFL this season, hitting 36-of-42 in the regular season with a long of 59 yards. He only missed two PAT kicks.

On Saturday, Fairbairn missed a whopping three kicks. First, he shanked a 55-yard field goal waaaay to the right in the second frame. Then, after an impressive TD drive to potentially tie the game in the third quarter, Fairbairn missed the extra point, keeping the Chiefs up one. And finally, with opportunities running thin in the fourth quarter, Fairbairn's low field goal attempt was blocked.

He finished the game with two makes (from 30 and 48 yards) on four field goal attempts. He came up wide on his only PAT.

That is seven points left on the board in a nine-point loss. Worse than the basic math, however, is how Fairbairn undermined Houston's momentum at every turn. The Texans' offense had no trouble driving early in the game, but Fairbairn botched a game-tying kick in the second quarter, in a 6-3 affair. After that, Kansas City marched down the field, scored a touchdown, and wound up going into halftime leading by seven, instead of four. It all spiraled from there.

Fairbairn is a pretty easy culprit.