It must be something about those former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The last time the Kansas City Chiefs won a playoff game was in January of 1994. And who did they face? None other than a team from Houston, the Houston Oilers.

The man behind center for Kansas City was Joe Montana, the former 49ers great. 

On Saturday, the Chiefs went to Houston and used a stifling defensive performance plus the solid play of former San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith. Smith led Kansas City to a dominant 11th straight win, as they whipped the Houston Texans 30-0 in an AFC Wild Card playoff game.

Huge Kickoff Return Jump Starts Chiefs

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images
Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

If the Chiefs needed to draw up a way to take the energy out of a raucous home Houston crowd early in a game, they probably couldn’t have come up with a better plan than what kick returner Knile Davis would do. Davis received the opening kickoff halfway deep in the end zone and worked his way up the field, using a trio of excellent blocks around Kansas City’s 10 yard line to turn upfield and use his excellent speed for the 106-yard touchdown return. It was the only touchdown of the first half but got the Chiefs off to a stunningly fast start, going up 7-0 on the first play of the game.

Texans And Turnover-Happy Hoyer Self-Destruct In First Half

Led by star J.J. Watt, the Texans’ defense held the Chiefs offense to just a pair of field goals for the rest of the first half, giving their offense plenty of chances to get back in the game. However, quarterback Brian Hoyer picked this game to have his worst game.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Scott Halleran/Getty Images

On Houston’s second possession, Hoyer forced a throw over the middle that was picked off by Eric Berry to start the turnover parade. Though the Texans intercepted Smith on the ensuing drive to keep points off the board, Hoyer could not capitalize. On their next drive, Houston used a semi-effective run game and a short passing game to march to the Chiefs 30-yard line. However, when Hoyer dropped back to pass on a 3rd & 7 from the 30 yard line, he was hit seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. Not only was Hoyer but the football was dropped as well, slipping from Hoyer’s grasp. The fumble was recovered by the Chiefs, who turned the turnover into three points and a 10-0 lead.

Later, the Texans took over at their own 20-yard line, down 13-0 with seven minutes left in the second quarter. They got a decent drive going, with a big 49-yard run from Alfred Blue (16 carries, 99 yards) that brought Houston into the red zone. A few plays later, the Texans had a first and goal from the two yard line. After a run for a one-yard loss, Hoyer made a terrible decision and rushed a pass over the middle of the field which was easily picked off, ending all the momentum that the Texans had built.

Hoyer got another chance after his defense quickly forced Kansas City off the field, giving their quarterback a chance to run the two-minute offense. That turned into the two-play offense, as Hoyer was picked off on a poorly thrown deep pass on the second play of the drive, his fourth turnover of the day. Houston’s defense did its best, keeping it a 13-0 halftime deficit, but Hoyer’s performance elicited boos across the stadium.

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images
Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Chiefs Offense Wears Down Houston In Second Half

After being stymied for the most part by Watt and the Houston defense, Alex Smith finally got the ball rolling for Kansas City. After forcing Houston to stall in Kansas City territory, Smith took over at his own six-yard line and marched the Chiefs 94 yards for a touchdown.

The Chiefs rebounded after a 64-yard run by Smith was negated by a holding call, forcing the Chiefs to come all the way back to their side of the field. Kansas City was very effective on first and second down on the drive that chewed up five minutes of clock time, as they had to convert just one short third down play on the drive. Smith, who finished 17-22 for 190 yards, completed six of seven pass attempts on the drive, including his nine-yard scoring pass for a 20-0 lead with 4:39 remaining in the game.

The Texans needed an immediate response to have any chance, but, instead, they went three and out, giving Kansas City the ball back. The Chiefs ran out the rest of the third quarter clock, marching deep into Houston territory. Spencer Ware scored on a five-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, putting away the Texans for good. Again, first and second down success was critical for the Chiefs, who did not face a third down play on their game-sealing drive. They went on to score one more field goal after yet another Hoyer interception to move the score to its final of 30-0.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Texans Impressive Comeback Season Comes To A Horrendous Close

When the Texans started the season 2-5, no one saw them becoming the champions of the AFC South. They made the playoffs but star receiver DeAndre Hopkins said the team wasn’t satisfied. “We have much higher goals.” Hopkins said during a press conference.

Well, those goals didn’t last long as the Texans’ impressive second half came to an unceremonious halt on Saturday with the ugly loss. However, the future could be bright for the Texans after their impressive comeback season. They’ll be a team to watch next year if they can figure it out at the quarterback position. It’ll be interesting to see if the Texans draft a signal-caller in the upcoming draft. Star defensive player J.J. Watt was injured in the third quarter but it currently doesn’t appear to be very serious.

Chiefs Look To Continue Huge Winning Streak Next Week Against Either Patriots Or Broncos

Kansas City's impressive streak will be tested next week as they will face either the top-seeded Denver Broncos or the second-seeded New England Patriots, depending on the result of the Bengals-Steelers game later today. However, if the Chiefs can bring the same stifling defense to  the AFC divisional round, as well as the steady, effective offense that they featured in the second half of today’s game, there might not be many teams that can take Kansas City down.

Nobody thought anyone would say this when Kansas City was 1-5 after six games.

But here they are.

Watch out football. Here comes Kansas City.

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