The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready to face the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 6 on Sunday.
To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Mark Lane over at Texans Wire and asked him a few questions.
Chiefs Wire: Is Patrick Mahomes vs. Deshaun Watson destined to be the next Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning rivalry in the NFL?
Texans Wire: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning met as many times as they did because of the same-place finisher formula. In other words, intra-conference games are subject to playing teams that finished in the same place as the season before. So, with the AFC East and the AFC South being as bad as they were from 2002-2011, and then the Denver Broncos dominating the AFC West from 2011-2015, it provided many matchups. Throw in the playoff battles (five in all) and those two were going at it once a year guaranteed. I don’t see that being the case with Mahomes and Watson because there’s more parity in their divisions, and I think you could wind up with a case where they don’t finish in the same place every season. Take 2018 for example. They missed each other. I think there will be instances like that in this friendly rivalry. However, when these two get together, there will be fireworks.
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Chiefs Wire: Carlos Hyde is a top-15 rusher in the NFL. I can say with confidence that most Chiefs fans didn’t expect that after he spent the offseason in Kansas City. Is there any secret to his success with the Texans?
Texans Wire: The Texans have always been committed to the run, even when their offensive line was in tatters, like last season. Hyde is always going to get his carries and an opportunity to get into a rhythm. Furthermore, the Texans have done a much better job acquiring blocking talent as well as finalizing the five they want to start. All of that has led to a cohesion along the offensive line that allows for Hyde to find his holes, and the philosophy of the team is to run the football. Heck, his 32 carries through five games are the second-most to start a season since 2015, when he carried 40 times.
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Chiefs Wire: After the trade for Laremy Tunsil, has the Texans offensive line play improved significantly?
Texans Wire: It has, but it has also been about the Texans offensive line finding the right combination of talent. The strategy of offensive line coach Mike Devlin and coach Bill O’Brien is to get out as far as Week 3 of the preseason and still determine which five best offensive linemen can work together. I’m not talking bullets in a chamber type of scenario; I mean, you take your 1-5 talent-wise on the offensive line and you make them work together. Ostensibly, you could have three good tackles and a center and a guard. I think that type of construction lends itself to disaster, and it’s partly why Martinas Rankin, now with Kansas City, didn’t “work out” in Houston.
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Chiefs Wire: The AFC South was all .500 as of Week 4; who can realistically challenge the Texans for the division?
Texans Wire: Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I think the question ought to be: “Who can challenge the Colts for the division?” Even the AFC South champs from a season ago are looking up to Indianapolis, and it’s because of Frank Reich’s ability to mold a football team and have them overcome adversity. Houston really has a tough stretch in front of them as they take on the Chiefs, the Colts next week, and then the Raiders the week thereafter. I think this division comes down to the Colts and Texans, Jaguars and Titans be darned.
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Chiefs Wire: What does the defensive front look like for the Texans after trading away Jadeveon Clowney?
Texans Wire: As though they don’t miss him. The Texans’ defensive line is tied for the 10th-most sacks in the NFL. DE J.J. Watt is starting to come alive as he usually does this time of year. OLB Whitney Mercilus is tied with Khalil Mack for the most forced fumbles with four. The one area that could be a concern is run defense. The Texans are tied for 15th in yards per carry with 4.4. However, defensive tackle D.J. Reader has provided some penetration in the middle that helps offset any benefit loss with Clowney playing in Seattle.
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Chiefs Wire: What do you expect to happen in this game? Do you have any hot takes and a scoring prediction?
Texans Wire: I expect the Chiefs to post a 17-point lead on the Texans by midway through the second quarter. Then, the Texans will have woken up by that point and decided to make a game of it. I think Houston will pull within a score, but always be out of reach. CB Johnathan Joseph is questionable suddenly with a groin, and S Tashaun Gipson was limited with a wrist and hip injury, which could open the door for TE Travis Kelce. CB Morris Claiborne gets his revenge on WR DeAndre Hopkins for the Week 15 catch he made on him last season when he was with the Jets, and now, Claiborne catches a drop from Hopkins for an interception. Chiefs 34, Texans 28
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