Houston @ Kansas City preview
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 9, 2018 ) Houston 17, Kansas City 10
The Kansas City Chiefs look to bounce back from a disappointing loss when they host the Houston Texans on Sunday in a clash of AFC contenders. The matchup pits two exciting young quarterbacks against one another as Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Houston’s Deshaun Watson go head-to-head for the first time since they were selected two picks apart in the 2017 draft.
The Chiefs didn’t do the Texans any favors last week with their 19-13 loss to Indianapolis, which shares the lead in the AFC South with Houston. Kansas City’s offense was unusually anemic, managing a season-low 324 total yards. Meanwhile, the Texans did their best impression of the Chiefs’ usually high-flying offense in a 53-32 win over Atlanta last week. Watson earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 28-of-33 passes for 426 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions for a perfect passer rating.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Chiefs -4. O/U: 55.5
ABOUT THE TEXANS (3-2): Houston’s dynamic offense finally hit its stride against the Falcons, as Watson picked apart Atlanta’s secondary and Will Fuller had career highs in catches (14), receiving yards (217) and touchdowns (three). The Texans also put up 166 rushing yards - their second-highest total of the season -as Carlos Hyde continued to carry the load. Houston’s defense has been steady, holding three straight opponents under 100 yards rushing while forcing at least one turnover in every game this season.
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (4-1): Kansas City’s second-ranked offense had a rare bad day against the Colts, although it still managed to record a respectable 324 total yards. The Chiefs have had difficulty getting the running game going at times, but Mahomes typically exploits defenses with a bevy of dangerous receivers, and speedster Tyreek Hill is expected to return this week. Kansas City’s defense had one of its best all-around showings of the season last week, but the run defense is a continuing concern as the Chiefs have allowed at least 180 yards on the ground in three straight games and permit 5.3 yards per carry - the second-most in the league.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Mahomes is one of five players in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards in each of his team’s first five games of a season.
2. Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins has caught a touchdown pass in four straight contests against the Chiefs, recording three in the most recent meeting.
3. Kansas City TE Travis Kelce has registered at least 70 receiving yards in five straight games.
PREDICTION: Chiefs 30, Texans 24