On Saturday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans, winning 27-19 and improving to 14-1.

Here are some early takeaways from a solid Chiefs performance:

It was Xavier Worthy Day at Arrowhead.

We’ve talked a lot about what impact the return of wide receiver Hollywood Brown would have on the offense. But we may have forgotten to mention the impact he could have on other players already in the squad.

Having another viable pass-catcher in the lineup naturally draws others’ attention – and upon Brown’s return, it was Worthy who became the focal point of the offense.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has repeatedly pointed out how he continues to gain confidence through chemistry with the rookie wide receiver. On Saturday, head coach Andy Reid called on him for 10 touches, which translated to 75 yards.

Worthy’s 8-yard touchdown in the third quarter extended the Chiefs’ lead to 24-16.

I would still like to see Kansas City run the football a bit more as Mahomes still seems a little off with his deep passing game. Still, I liked the fact that he seemed to have more time on Saturday. He was able to distribute the ball to eight different pass catchers in a 260-yard effort.

There were still positive signals from the defense.

Although the Texans intended to utilize their quick screen game, they were never able to get it going. The Chiefs were aggressive in their coverage and ran the ball throughout the game.

Houston quarterback CJ Stroud is very good – and I think he showed a useful strategy for beating Kansas City’s defense in the playoffs: Look away from Trent McDuffie and find cornerback No. 2. That seems to be the case work – and that’s why the Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was on his way to a career game before suffering a devastating leg injury.

That’s a good plan though in theoryIt’s hard to execute when Kansas City’s pass rush is on point – and I think things continue to look better as defensive lineman Charles Omenihu gets more games under his belt. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s timely blitzes also help – as evidenced by Joshua Williams’ sack on a corner blitz in the fourth quarter. It gave Kansas City the control it needed to run out the clock — and win the game.

Now the pressure is shifting to the Buffalo Bills.

Saturday was Kansas City’s “magic number.” two – That means any combination of Chiefs wins and Bills losses down the stretch will secure first place in the AFC and a playoff bye.

With the Chiefs’ win, the pressure now shifts to the Bills, whose Sunday game is against the New England Patriots. At the time of writing, the Bills are two-touchdown favorites at home, but division games in the AFC East are also unpredictable.

If the Patriots pull off the upset, the Chiefs would be celebrating their conference win from the comfort of their couches. This would be an ideal outcome for Kansas City as defensive tackle Chris Jones and right tackle Jawaan Taylor both suffered minor injuries in the win.