The 4th seed Texans head to Kansas City to take on the 1st seed Chiefs in one of two AFC Divisional round matchups. Here are previews and a prediction for how this game will turn out:
When Houston has the ball:
Against the Chargers, Houston was able to control the game flow by feeding running back Joe Mixon, which allowed them to open up their play-action passing game. The Texans know they need to control the time of possession and will do everything they can to try to replicate that game plan against the Chiefs. If Mixon can get 20+ carries, it means that things are going well offensively for the Texans, and the game should be close. If the Chiefs run defense is playing to its top level, then it’ll force Houston to be in obvious passing situations, which is going to create a lot of sack opportunities for Chris Jones and the rest of the Chiefs defense.
Texans Playmakers:
Nico Collins is the focal point of the Texans passing offense, but the real key is going to be Dalton Schultz. Kansas City has struggled all year long covering opposing tight ends and this feels like a game where Schultz must be heavily involved. The Texans cut Diontae Johnson this past week, who was once again upset with his lack of snaps. Collins is going to see heavy double teams, so it will be incumbent upon John Metchie, Robert Woods, and even Xavier Hutchinson to pick up the slack.
When Kansas City has the ball:
The Texans were able to hold JK Dobbins to a mere 26 rushing yards last week, so neither Isiah Pacheco nor Kareem Hunt feels like they are in a great situation. On the other hand, Patrick Mahomes is in a fantastic situation. He’s going to be able to take advantage of a weak Texans secondary and should be able to run for a few yards as he escapes the grasp of Will Anderson and the rest of the Texans DL.
Chiefs Weapons:
What makes the Chiefs so difficult to play is that offensively, they have numerous receivers who can dominate. DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce are exceptional against zone coverage schemes, and Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown are terrific against man coverage. Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. is one of the top cornerbacks in the league but he’s only able to cover one of the receivers, so expect Mahomes to spread the ball around to take advantage of the coverages.
Prediction:
Houston played perhaps its best game of the season in the wild-card round. To expect to go into Kansas City and perform equally as well seems a bit too much to ask.