The Houston Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium Thursday at 7:20 p.m. Central Time.
Of course, everyone is excited to see the NFL start on time in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. But here are four specific reasons why Texans fans should be excited to see their team back in action.
1. Speedy receivers
The Texans’ passing attack is predicated upon speed. Will Fuller, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks, and Randall Cobb provide quick, reliable targets for quarterback Deshaun Watson that, as Tyrann Mathieu put it, can “wreck a football game.”
Even in the rainy conditions, there could still be opportunities for the Texans to try to get behind the Chiefs’ secondary, and they have the means to do it.
2. Revitalized running game
It’s one thing to just be committed to running the football, which the Texans have been in the Bill O’Brien era. It’s another to have the offensive line to do so with a proven running back carrying the rock.
Houston’s offensive line is returning the same five starters, and those starters helped Carlos Hyde earn his first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career in 2019. What do you think they could do for a former All-Pro like David Johnson? The Texans will be relying on their ground game as well to dominate the time of possession and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field.
3. How does Anthony Weaver create a pass rush?
The Texans have a new defensive coordinator with Anthony Weaver, and he intends to be creative in ways to dial up pressure, much like one of his coaching mentors, Rex Ryan.
The Texans still have reliable pass rushers in defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus. The fascinating part will be to see how Weaver gets players such as outside linebacker Jacob Martin and defensive end Charles Omenihu involved.
4. Deshaun Watson
The two-time Pro Bowler has a contract extension and the entire offense is built around his decision-making. With even more control of the offense, Watson has the ability to execute even more dynamic plays. If Watson can get on the same page with his new receiving corps, it should turn soggy Arrowhead Stadium into a track meet.
