Patrick Mahomes had a night to forget. The game against the Houston Texans was crucial for the Kansas City Chiefs, with many playoff implications depending on the winner. However, even with the game being played at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs looked like a shadow of their previous versions.
The Texans won 20-10 and now have an 8-5 record, while the Chiefs, who can only make the playoffs via Wild Card, are 6-7. Performances over the entire season have been concerning, but against the Texans, Mahomes had perhaps the worst game of his incredible career.
Patrick Mahomes Makes Negative History in Crucial Showdown vs. Texans
It was never going to be an easy night for Mahomes and the Chiefs. After all, the Texans have the No. 1 defense in the league, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric. Still, not even the biggest Houston fans could’ve imagined such success against one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Mahomes closed the game with 42.4% of completed passes, 160 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions. This was the first time in his eight-year career as a starter where he had a performance with no touchdowns and three picks:
Patrick Mahomes vs. the Texans:
– 160 Pass Yds
– 0 TD
– 3 INTMahomes’ first career game with 0 Pass TD and 3 INT 😳 pic.twitter.com/r8zxXtD0NM
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) December 8, 2025
With three more picks, for the fifth straight season, Mahomes has thrown double-digit picks. But more concerning is the fact that he’s completing just above 64% of his throws, by far his lowest mark in the NFL since he became a starter for the Chiefs in 2018.
Mahomes ends the game with -0.54 EPA per dropback. The worst start of his career.
42.4% completion percentage. Worst of his career.
19.8 passer rating. Worst of his career.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) December 8, 2025
Another important note about the game against the Texans is that, with a 6-7 record and four weeks remaining, the Chiefs can’t win the AFC West this season, ending a nine-year streak of division titles for the franchise. They’re currently two games behind the Texans in the Wild Card race; effectively, three games behind, with Houston holding the head-to-head advantage.
It wasn’t all Mahomes’ fault on Sunday. There were multiple important drops: he threw a perfect deep ball to Tyquan Thornton in the end zone, but the wide receiver couldn’t haul it in. In another instance, a drop by Travis Kelce, who also had a difficult night, turned into an interception for the quarterback.
Still, not even his biggest fans would argue that the quarterback is not meeting his standards. Even if the Texans have one of the best defenses in the league, this simply isn’t the level that we’re used to seeing Mahomes play.
