When the Texans 'had to have it', they trusted in Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins.
Facing a 4th-and-3 at the Kansas City 27-yard line, up seven, coming out of the 2-minute warning, Watson fired a strike to DeAndre Hopkins for a gain of eight.
The Chiefs were out of timeouts, so Watson and the offense lined up the next two plays in the victory formation, had a pair of kneeldowns, and sealed their fourth victory of 2019.
"We knew we had a look, pre-snap, the previous two plays, actually," Watson said. "We kind of knew what they were going to do. A 'gotta have it' situation. Blitz zero. So it was 'try to find the best guy'. And of course, D-Hop was one of those guys. In clutch moments he comes up big. We got the look that we wanted, and capitalized."
Capitalizing there was big, because it kept 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and an explosive Chiefs offense on the sidelines. They were forced to watch the rest of the way, and never got a chance after the conversion.
Head coach Bill O'Brien said it was "obviously" a tough decision to go for the first down, as he pulled the field goal unit off the field and sent the offense back on it.
"It was a manageable enough distance that we felt we could execute the play," O'Brien said of going for it.
Hopkins, who finished with nine catches for 55 yards, as well as a 2-point try reception, explained what the offense saw prior to the snap.
"We knew it was man-to-man," Hopkins said. "They were going to blitz. Deshaun got the ball out. He held it long enough for me to make a play."
Watson, Hopkins and the Texans converted another fourth down earlier in the game, and were 2-of-3 on the day in fourth down situations.
Houston Texans Fans travel to Arrowhead Stadium for the sixth game of the 2019 NFL season against the Chiefs.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
