The Houston Texans surprised pundits by triumphing 32-12 over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round. The Texans intercepted Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert four times. Their reward for playing so well? A trip to take on top-seeded Kansas City in Kansas City on Saturday at 4:30 P.M.
Kansas City’s stadium is always boisterous and should be rocking as the Chiefs start their Super Bowl title defense. Even though the Kansas City Chiefs should be favored by a wide margin, the teams have a recent history. The Texans lost at Kansas City 27-19 on December 21. The Chiefs have played an inordinate amount of close games this season, so will you watch?
Texans Defeat Chargers 32-12
The story of the game was the Texans defense, which played great. Aside from that, Texans Quarterback CJ Stroud played well, completing 22 of 33 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown. Texans Running Back Joe Mixon had 106 rushing yards and sealed the game in the fourth quarter scampering 17 yards. As a reward. The Texans now get to play at the Kansas City Chiefs.
Houston’s Keys To Victory Against Kansas City
The Texans are an 8-point underdog at Kansas City, so they must control the ball. Fundamental to this is having a strong rushing attack. The Texans also must get strong play from their quarterback. He cannot throw any interceptions and it would be helpful if he could hit a few big plays to his wide receivers. The Houston defense must play well and contain the potent Chiefs offense. They cannot hurt themselves with turnovers and penalties and it would be helpful to their cause if they got a big play, or two, on special teams.
Houston’s Most Important Players Against the Chiefs
As the Texans must control the ball, Houston Running Back Joe Mixon is likely the most important player on either team. It is vital to the Houston cause that he plays well. Apart from him, Texans Quarterback CJ Stroud must be as accurate as he was in the Wild Card game. He also should try to hit a big play to star Wide Receiver Nico Collins. The entire Houston defense must try to control the potent Kansas City offense and every player on the Texans roster must play well and avoid making mistakes.
Chiefs’ Keys To Victory
Kansas City has played many close games this year and they must avoid that if they are to convince pundits they are likely to win their third consecutive Super Bowl. As the big favorite, Kansas City needs to play a clean game and avoid making the kind of mistakes that will allow the Texans to hang around. That said, a quick start is needed from Kansas City. We should be able to tell how the game is going to go after the first quarter.
Kansas City’s Most Important Players Against Houston
For the Kansas City Chiefs, the most important player is superstar Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He needs to play and throw well as the two-time defending champions start their quest for their third consecutive Super Bowl championship.
Mahomes is likely to complete passes to his favorite target in Kansas City Tight End Travis Kelce. He is better known nowadays as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. Chiefs Running Back Isiah Pacheco must play, he has been hurt and plays well. He is a nice compliment to the passing game. The Chiefs, as the heavy betting favorite, cannot hurt themselves with penalties and turnovers.
Conclusion
It will be interesting to see Kansas City begin their title defense against Houston. Viewers will be able to tell much about how the Kansas City Chiefs will play in the playoffs from how they perform against the Houston Texans. It may be difficult for them to get out of the AFC. The Buffalo Bills have looked good, but Kansas City will have home field as the top seed.
