The Houston Texans are in Kansas City to face the Chiefs in a divisional round game that will have its winner host the red-hot Tennessee Titans in the A.F.C. championship game. Some occasional snow flurries could materialize at Arrowhead Stadium, but conditions are expected to be mostly clear with temperatures in the mid-30s, which should open things up for both offenses in a game in which the Chiefs are heavily favored.
How to watch: The game will kick off at 3:05 p.m. Eastern. It will be broadcast on CBS and streamed live on FuboTV.
Here are some things to consider going into the game:
Two Quarterbacks, Forever Linked
In 2016, Deshaun Watson, then the quarterback of the Clemson Tigers, led his team to a national championship. Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, put up video game numbers for Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech. When the draft came around, the Chiefs, who had the No. 10 pick, took a close look at both quarterbacks and decided on Mahomes. Two picks later, the Texans traded up and chose Watson. Needless to say, both teams have been happy with their decisions ever since.
Mahomes won the N.F.L.’s Most Valuable Player Award last season, and had a strong second half this year after an injury and some inconsistency ruined the middle of his year. Watson has not reached the same heights, but that is mostly a function of inferior teammates, as he demonstrated in the wild-card round that he is capable of extraordinary things. In their lone matchup as starters, which came this season in Week 6, Watson finished on top, with 280 passing yards, 42 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in Houston’s 31-24 victory.
Who Will Lead Kansas City in Rushing?
The Chiefs can count on production from Mahomes and the passing game, but figuring out the team’s running situation on a week-to-week basis can be difficult. After cutting ties with Kareem Hunt following the release of a video in which the running back assaulted a woman, the team tried to split things up between backs Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy, to mixed results. Kansas City surpassed 100 rushing yards in just seven games, and did not break 150 until the final game of the regular season, when Williams personally torched the Los Angeles Chargers with 124 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. The end result, though, was a season in which the Chiefs, who ranked 24th in the N.F.L. in rushing, did not have a player break 500 rushing yards for the year. Houston, however, presents an opportunity to mix things up. The Texans are ranked 26th in the N.F.L. in pass defense efficiency, according to Football Outsiders, and 22nd in run defense efficiency. If Houston tries to cheat against the pass, Williams or McCoy can presumably make them pay for it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/sports/football/texans-vs-chiefs.html
2020-01-12 16:00:00Z
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