Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien explained the thinking behind the team's unsuccessful fake punt during its divisional-round loss Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Texans, up 24-7, faced a 4th-and-4 from their own 31-yard line when they ran a direct snap to safety Justin Reid, who was tackled two yards short of a first down. The Chiefs got the ball and scored a touchdown 23 seconds later.

"We felt like we had a look and it just didn't work," O'Brien said postgame.

Kansas City rolled to a 51-31 victory.

While the decision has been widely criticized, O'Brien said he believed the Texans couldn't afford to repeatedly punt against the high-scoring Chiefs.

"I definitely thought that we were going to have to score more than 24," he said. "I think that, obviously, they're a very explosive team and it just didn't work out."