After practicing this week, all signs point to the Chiefs QB taking the field in the matchup of two division champs.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A tall task for the Houston Texans just got a little taller.
Houston heads to Kansas City to play the Chiefs Saturday in a showdown of AFC division leaders and the Texans will apparently face future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes, who has been dealing with a high ankle sprain, was a question mark earlier in the week – something not lost on Vegas oddsmakers. When it wasn’t clear if Mahomes would play, Houston was favored by as many as three points. After he was able to practice this week, that point spread swung to Kansas City favored by 3.5.
The Chiefs are back-to-back NFL champs and come into the game with the best record in the NFL at 13-1. Houston is 9-5 and locked up the AFC South last weekend. While the Chiefs are trying to hold onto their No. 1 seeding in the AFC, Houston still has a chance to move up with three games to go in the regular season.
Much of the attention for both teams tends to land on their offenses. Mahomes and Texans counterpart C.J. Stroud are bona fide stars. The Chiefs have former Texan DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans have Nico Collins at wide receiver. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is still arguably the best at his position in the NFL, while the Texans have running back Joe Mixon, who is expected to play despite an ankle injury, leading the way in the backfield.
Yet it is their defenses that have allowed the Chiefs and Texans to clinch playoff spots so early in the season.
Houston (9-5) has the league’s fourth-ranked defense and is No. 6 against the pass, and a group on pace to set the franchise record for sacks in a season also is coming off a four-turnover performance in a win against Miami. Kansas City counters with the No. 5 overall defense, which just piled up five sacks and six turnovers in its victory over the Browns.
“I mean, I think every game (allows you) to learn where you match up against guys, and I thought, on film, they have a lot of great players,” Stroud said. “They play well together. They’ve been playing well together for a long time, and just add new pieces that fit their system well. So, I think they do a great job and excited to match up against them.”
Sack attack
The Texans rank second in the NFL with 45 sacks this season and need just one on Saturday to tie the franchise record, set just last year. Danielle Hunter leads the way and is second in the NFL with 12 sacks while Will Anderson Jr. is seventh with a career-best 10 1/2. They’re the only teammates in the NFL with double-digit sacks this season.
“They continue to wreak havoc on the opposing offenses, playing on their side of the line of scrimmage,” Ryans said.
Stingley’s success
Houston cornerback Derek Stingley had two interceptions against the Dolphins last week to give him four in the last four games, and he was part of a defense that forced four turnovers, improving their differential to plus-13 on the season.
Stingley, who ranks second in the NFL with a career-high 17 passes defended, also had two tackles for loss on Sunday to become the first cornerback in NFL history with two interceptions and two tackles for loss in the same game.
“If you get the other team to turn the ball over three times in the game normally the odds of winning go up,” Stingley said. “So, we got four, trying to get five next game. Just keep it going. Keep playing together as a unit.”
Good King Wentz-eslaus
The Chiefs signed veteran Carson Wentz to a lucrative one-year deal to back up Mahomes, and he would be pushed into duty should the two-time MVP struggle on his balky ankle. Wentz completed his only two passes for 20 yards against the Browns, allowing the Chiefs to run out the clock on their 21-7 victory.
Left tackle trouble
The Chiefs are still uncertain how they will proceed at left tackle after sliding standout guard Joe Thuney into the position and starting Mike Caliendo in his place last week. That came after the Chiefs unsuccessfully tried Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris at the position, and after former Pro Bowl pick D.J. Humphries hurt his hamstring in his season debut.
“I thought (Thuney) battled his tail off and really was throwing it out there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He did a nice job.”
Hollywood’s time to star
Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown could make his season debut against the Texans. The high-profile free-agent signing hurt his shoulder on the first play of the preseason and needed surgery, but he returned to practice last week and has looked good.
“It’s not like he hurt his leg. He was out there rolling around,” Mahomes said. “More than anything he is getting back in football shape and him feeling confident he can go out there and take hits, which he’s been cleared to do.”