By Adeniyi Precious 
Will Anderson Jr. from the Houston Texans had some strong thoughts after his team’s playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on January 18, 2025. Despite the Chiefs securing a 23-14 win, Anderson felt like the Texans were the better team but shot themselves in the foot with mistakes, penalties, and missed opportunities. “It’s on us 100 percent,” Anderson said, reflecting on the team’s performance. “We didn’t play our game, and that’s on us.”
Both Anderson and fellow former Alabama player, Henry To’oTo’o, got penalized during the game, with Anderson getting flagged for roughing the passer against Patrick Mahomes on a third-down play, giving the Chiefs a key field goal. Despite some controversial calls, Anderson stayed focused on his game, finishing with two of the Texans’ three sacks and pressuring Mahomes.
The Chiefs’ victory sent them to their seventh straight AFC Championship Game, and Mahomes’ clutch throws, including a touchdown to Travis Kelce, were a big factor. To’oTo’o also got penalized for unnecessary roughness when Mahomes scrambled. While Anderson acknowledged the Chiefs’ skill, he emphasized that the mistakes the Texans made were their own downfall.
Houston’s season ended in the second round of the AFC playoffs for the second year in a row. Anderson believes the Texans need to stop repeating the same errors if they want to beat top-tier teams like Kansas City. “We have to find a way to get over this hump,” he said.