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The first-round bye that came with earning the top seed in the AFC playoffs helped the Kansas City Chiefs recharge.

As for their mindset, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions hit the reset button before training camp.

“Every year is a new challenge,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “Every year is a new opportunity to go and achieve the ultimate goal, and that’s to win a championship.”

Kansas City’s quest to become the first team in NFL history to claim three straight Super Bowls begins Saturday with a visit from the Houston Texans in the divisional playoffs.

Fifth-seeded Houston (10-7) thumped the Los Angeles Chargers, runners-up to KC in the AFC West, 32-12, in a wild-card game fueled by prominent efforts from all three phases, especially the defense.

Will Anderson Jr. and Mario Edwards Jr. both had 1.5 sacks against Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw four interceptions to surpass his regular-season total of three.

Derek Stingley Jr. hauled in two of the Texans’ picks, while Eric Murray returned his interception 38 yards for a score.

“We talk about having aggressive hands and going to get the ball and pulling it away, pulling it down. Those things,” Houston defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “They all have the mindset of, ‘We’re going to attack the ball,’ you know. We try to say there’s no such thing as a 50/50 ball. … That’s our ball when it’s in the air. I think it’s a skill set for sure and it’s a mindset. I think those guys, when the ball is thrown to them, they want to go. That’s their ball.”

Houston grabbed a second-quarter lead in its Week 16 visit to Kansas City but lost 27-19, struggling to regroup after a would-be, game-tying PAT kick in the third quarter was no good.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed and rushed for a touchdown on an ankle he sprained the previous week. Texans counterpart C.J. Stroud passed for two scores but was intercepted twice.

Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who missed the game as part of a suspension following a hit that concussed Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, anticipates a fun matchup against Mahomes.

“I think it’s going to be a great competition,” Al-Shaair said. “Obviously, his resume speaks for itself. Just to be out there with the best of the best, that’s what you (play) the game for. On Saturday, it’s going to be all lights on us.”

Mahomes is 6-0 in divisional games in his career. He rested in Week 18 after matching a season high with three touchdown passes in the previous game. He and his wife welcomed their third child, daughter Golden, to start the week.

“This team shows a lot of resiliency,” said Jones, who missed the last three games with a calf strain. “This team can win in a multitude of ways, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams. We’ve broadcast that throughout the year. This team had a lot of close games, we’ve had a lot of injuries, faced a lot of adversity early on throughout the year.”

Mahomes said he’s focused on the task at hand after a 15-2 regular season in which 11 games were decided by eight points or less. He flipped his social media profile pictures to his collection of Super Bowl rings in a message he’s back in business.

With 15 career postseason wins, Mahomes can tie Joe Montana (16 wins) for second place all-time in playoff wins by a quarterback behind Tom Brady (35). Mahomes is four places behind Brady for the all-time playoff touchdown record, and just five TDs would bump him up to second place on that list. Brady has 88 TD passes in 48 playoff games; Mahomes has 41 in 18 games. Aaron Rodgers (45), Montana (45) and Brett Favre (44) stand between the two.

Texans running back Joe Mixon was limited in Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury. He had 25 carries for 106 yards and a 17-yard touchdown last week. Tight end Dalton Schultz (shoulder) was also limited.

Al-Shaair (knee) missed Tuesday’s practice and was limited Wednesday. He was shaken up during Saturday’s wild-card win, though he returned after missing just one snap and is expected to play against the Chiefs.

The Texans are aiming for the franchise’s first AFC title game after five losses in as many trips to the divisional round.

Kansas City overcame a 24-0 second-quarter deficit against the visiting Texans in a divisional game after the 2019 season, winning 51-31 en route to a Super Bowl title.

The Chiefs blanked the host Texans 30-0 in a wild-card game after the 2015 season.

–Field Level Media