PREDICTIONS FOR CHIEFS' DIVISIONAL-ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUP VS. TEXANS

The Kansas City Chiefs will have their hands full against the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

Though Kansas City defeated Houston in Week 16 of the regular season, the Chiefs' starters haven't seen action in nearly a month.

Meanwhile, the Texans managed to earn an impressive victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs last week, and are set to have momentum on their side against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Kansas City will have the benefit of experience, but after so much time off, the Chiefs can't afford to fall flat against Houston if they intend to follow through on their aspirations of completing the NFL's first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

Take a look at our official predictions for Kansas City's playoff tilt against the Texans:

Ed Easton Jr.'s prediction

The Kansas City Chiefs officially kick off their postseason journey to a hopeful Super Bowl three-peat against the Houston Texans. The two teams already faced off a month ago at Arrowhead Stadium, so there is familiarity.

The offense will utilize the run early, often with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt opening up play-action opportunities for Patrick Mahomes to take shots down the field. Xavier Worthy won't let his first postseason game nerves affect his performance, while Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins' playoff history of success will be on display.

Defensively, the attention garnered by defensive tackle Chris Jones will continue to affect his teammates and pressure quarterback C.J. Stroud. Trent McDuffie and the secondary will take advantage of takeaways, while Nick Bolton and the linebackers will be in pursuit of ball carriers and knock off the rust of not playing since Christmas Day. Harrison Butker will be efficient and clutch, showing he's already in playoff form.

Final score: Chiefs 24, Texans 14

Jon Ediger's prediction

The Kansas City Chiefs' quest for the unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat begins today as they host the Houston Texans in the AFC divisional round.

The Chiefs are fresh off a two-week rest and are well-prepared to handle quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans. The defending Super Bowl champions will make good use of the extended rest period and open the passing game up for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City also received good news this week that standout cornerback Jaylen Watson is returning from injured reserve, which is sure to provide a boost to the Chiefs' secondary.

The Texans are riding high after last week's win over the Los Angeles Chargers and will be looking for revenge after their loss to Kansas City in the regular season. Stroud struggled during the regular season but managed to find his footing in the wild-card round and is coming into Saturday's game with a chip on his shoulder. The dynamic shot-caller will do what he can to give Houston a chance, but will ultimately fall short of taking down the mighty Chiefs at home.

Final score: Chiefs 27, Texans 20

Andrew Garcia's prediction

When these two teams met in Week 16, the Chiefs gained valuable information on the Texans that should help them exploit their weaknesses on the field in today's AFC divisional round matchup. While the same could arguably said of Houston learning how to exploit Kansas City, teams delve deep into their playbook and give it their all when they play the Chiefs during the regular season. It is unlikely that the Texans have many tricks left up their sleeve for today.

Fans can expect to see a similar game to their previous meetup. Houston's defense put considerable pressure on Mahomes, but they were unable to stop him from making a 15-yard rush to score a touchdown and he threw a game with no interceptions. While the Texans were able to put up 19 points in Week 16, C.J. Stroud struggled with accuracy when targeting his receivers, throwing two interceptions.

Houston is a formidable opponent and made its way to the AFC divisional round via an energized wild-card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. But, I expect the Texans' playoff run will be cut short this week when they are out-played at every angle by Kansas City.

Final score: Chiefs 31, Texans 26

John Dillon's prediction

It would be a shame to see Kansas City's quest to earn a third-consecutive Super Bowl title end in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, and Chiefs fans should prepare themselves for the worst.

While I am still going to pick Kansas City to win this game, the extended rest period could backfire on the Chiefs' starters, and cause the team to get off to a slow start as key players reacclimate to the playoff environment.

Though the lack of recent playing time concerns me, Kansas City has a significant amount of playoff experience under its belt, and it seems unfathomable that the Chiefs would lose to a team they just defeated last month.

As such, I'll predict this game will end in a victory for Kansas City, but that the outcome will be far too close for Chiefs fans to be comfortable about the team's trajectory heading into the AFC Championship Game.

Final score: Chiefs 22, Texans 21

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This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Predictions for Chiefs' divisional-round playoff matchup vs. Texans

2025-01-18T14:51:02Z