Hoyer’s struggles doom Texans in 30-0 loss to Chiefs

In case you missed the curb-stomping, here’s a recap.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) is tackled after lining up at quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter in a AFC Wild Card playoff football game at NRG Stadium. When the Chiefs’ drives stalled, though, Santos kept kicking field goals and extended the lead, giving them a buffer and allowing the rest of the offense to find its stride. The fast start didn’t carry over though, as both teams would trade punts after that. The Texans’ season is now over after yesterday’s 30-0 loss against the Chiefs. Despite losing Charles early in the season the Chiefs want to run the ball and let Alex Smith manage the game with a minimum of turnovers.

Hoyer threw three interceptions and lost a fumble on Houston’s first six possessions. The Chiefs would have to punt on their next drive after an Albert Wilson catch was ruled incomplete. He completed just 15-of-34 passes for 136 yards. Watt’s injury-filled season ended when the Texans were blanked by the Chiefs on Saturday. They did neither. The defense hung in there as long as possible, holding the Chiefs’ offense to two first half field goals including one after a short field spot following the second turnover. He looks like he will be a force to be reckoned with going forward so look for Kelce to be the value play over Gronk in the next round of the playoffs at Tight End.

J.J. Watt probably appreciates the encouragement, but it may take a bit more to ease the sting of Saturday’s beating in Houston. Quarterback Alex Smith was solid, going 17 of 22 passing for 190 yards and a touchdown.

The Kansas City defense took over after that, forcing Hoyer into a fumble and a three of his career-high four interceptions before halftime to help the Chiefs (12-5) take a 13-0 lead. “I felt like sticking with him was the right thing to do”, O’Brien said after the game.

It was the first postseason shutout in 107 games, since the Panthers beat the Giants 23-0 on January 8, 2006.

The mayhem in Cincinnati that finished with the Steelers benefiting from the stupidity and lack of discipline of Marvin Lewis’ team means the Patriots will face the team that handed New England its watershed loss in 2014.