Chiefs offense hitting its stride with return of wide receiver Marquise Brown from injury

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have not been whole on offense all season, the byproduct of injuries to Marquise Brown on the very first game of the preseason and a season-ending injury to fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice at the end of September.

They are close to it now. And it showed on Saturday.

Brown made his regular-season debut after recovering from shoulder surgery, and made his presence felt on the first offensive series against Houston. The Chiefs were driving downfield but faced fourth-and-2 at the Texans 30, and Brown came open across the field for a 13-yard reception, resulting in a first down and eventually leading to a Kansas City touchdown.

Brown went on to catch five passes for 45 yards in a 27-19 victory that pushed the Chiefs closer to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

“I thought he did a great job,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I missed him here and there on a couple of throws, but I thought he was getting open. He was winning against man coverage, which was huge.”

In fact, as the Chiefs (14-1) prepare to visit Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, they now have a receiving group that can win against just about any coverage. Brown and first-round pick Xavier Worthy, who had seven catches for 65 yards and a score, have the game-breaking speed to beat man-to-man defenses. And three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins, along with four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, have the catch radius and veteran savvy to find the holes in any sort of zone.

That makes the Chiefs offense as potent as it's been all season.

“Kansas City made the plays. That’s why, you know, they’re at the top echelon of the NFL,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “They found ways to win, especially in situational football. they did a really good job on third down, staying on the field.”

The Chiefs finished 7 of 13 on third down. They were 3 for 5 in the red zone and 2 for 2 in goal-to-go situations.

That is the kind of efficiency they have had while winning the past two Super Bowls.

“What can we do? The sky's the limit,” said Worthy, who has caught at least four passes in each of his past six games. “I feel like we're a hard team to beat. We just have to keep stacking.”

The Chiefs defense, which had turned opponents over just 10 times in their first 13 games, has now created eight turnovers in the past two. That included two interceptions of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on Saturday.

“They talked about breaking the seal last week,” said Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, who had no interceptions in his first 48 games but has now picked off a pass in each of his past two. “You get around defensive backs, they talk about how it will come in bunches. I'm seeing it play out, being in the right place at the right time.”

After piling up five sacks last week against Cleveland, the Chiefs struggled to capture Stroud on Saturday. They only managed two sacks, one of which was a cornerback blitz in the closing minutes that forced Houston to punt the ball away; the Chiefs were able to run out the clock on offense without giving the Texans another chance with it.

The Chiefs started All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney at tackle for the second straight week, trying to solve their problem protecting Mahomes' blind side. He played admirably against a good Houston pass rush, and that was even more important when the Chiefs had to juggle the offensive line again following right tackle Jawaan Taylor's knee strain.

Running back Isiah Pacheco carried nine times for just 26 yards, and he was stuffed on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 early in the second half, forcing a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt gained 55 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 24 yards, showing more versatility and explosiveness out of the backfield.

DT Chris Jones (calf strain) and RT Jawaan Taylor (knee strain) did not finish the game against the Texans. LB Jack Cochrane will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle.

14 — The Chiefs matched the franchise record for regular-season wins, set during the 2020 season and matched two years ago. They have two opportunities to break it with Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Denver in their regular-season finale.

The Chiefs visit the Steelers on Christmas Day.

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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 27-19. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes drops back to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy catches a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown is tackled by Houston Texans safety Eric Murray, left, during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Louisiana’s prison system routinely holds people weeks and months after they have completed their sentences, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday. The suit against the state of Louisiana follows a multiyear investigation into what federal officials say is a pattern of “systemic overdetention” that violates inmates’ rights and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

DOJ alleges that since at least 2012, more than a quarter of the people due to be released from Louisiana prisons have instead been held past their release dates. DOJ warned Louisiana officials last year that the state could face a lawsuit if it didn't fix the problems, but lawyers for the department say the state's “marginal efforts” to address the issues were “inadequate” and showed a "deliberate indifference" to the constitutional rights of incarcerated individuals.

“(T)he right to individual liberty includes the right to be released from incarceration on time after the term set by the court has ended," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement announcing the suit.

"To incarcerate people indefinitely ... not only intrudes on individual liberty, but also erodes public confidence in the fair and just application of our laws.”

In a joint statement provided to The Associated Press, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and state Attorney General Liz Murrill blamed the problem on the “failed criminal justice reforms” advanced by “the past administration.”

“This past year, we have taken significant action to keep Louisianans safe and ensure those who commit the crime, also do the time,” the statement reads. “The State of Louisiana is committed to preserving the constitutional rights of Louisiana citizens.”

The Republican state officials also characterized the effort as a last-ditch lawsuit by outgoing President Joe Biden, reasoning that the incoming administration of Donald Trump would not have allowed the case to be filed.

Advocates have repeatedly challenged the conditions in Louisiana's prison system, which includes the country's largest maximum-security prison, known as Angola, where incarcerated individuals toil under the blazing sun picking vegetables by hand at what was once a slave plantation.

FILE - The sun shines through concertina wire on a fence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., April 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)