Are you ready for some Chiefs football?
Like the past three seasons, the Chiefs Wire staff will offer its weekly predictions for each Chiefs game. Here are our picks for Kansas City’s Week 6 matchup against the Houston Texans
Charles Goldman’s pick: Chiefs win 36-30 (OT)
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @goldmctNFL
This is the first time that I’ll stray a bit from my preseason projections. This is looking like a weird week for the Chiefs. They’re coming off a sloppy and brutal loss against the Colts at home. It was a battle of attrition with multiple major injuries for the Chiefs, and it became too much to overcome in the moment.
I feel like there are basically two ways this goes down for Kansas City this week. The first way, the team responds to losing at home and they play a flawless game of football against a tough Texans team. The second, less-ideal way, see’s the Chiefs continuing to struggle and spiral with a short week around the corner.
Tyreek Hill has a chance to play this week, but he’s set to be a game-time decision. He’d obviously give the Chiefs a much-needed energy boost and if he doesn’t play it’ll make things exceptionally difficult.
I feel like these teams will make this game a show with the vast majority of the United States watching. I like this game going to overtime and the Chiefs coming away with a victory via Touchdown. Maybe a Tyrann Mathieu pick-six if Kansas City doesn’t win the toss.
Wesley Roesch’s pick: Texans win 38-34
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @WesleyRoesch
I’ve been going back and forth on this but ultimately I’m finding it tough to pick the Chiefs right now. After last week’s disappointing loss against the Colts, it’s clear Kansas City is too beat up right now to play at its full potential. I expect this one to be close but I think Houston has the edge.
I’m not all doom and gloom on the Chiefs, though. Once they return a few key pieces, they’ll get back into form and will be the dominant force we’re used to.
Nicolas Roesch’s pick: Texans win 31-24
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @Nicolas_Roesch
I still believe the Chiefs are an elite team, but they have been severely bitten by the injury bug. That would slow down any team in the league. They’re also, unfortunately, matching up with a Texans team this week that is on fire, having put up 53 points on the Atlanta Falcons last week.
If the Chiefs were at full health, I would pick them to win this game. Without their best player on defense in Chris Jones, however, I don’t see how they slow down the Texans’ offense. Even with Jones, the Chiefs’ defense hasn’t been very good.
Patrick Mahomes is having another phenomenal season, perhaps even better than last season considering he’s been without several key offensive starters while battling a high ankle sprain himself. The Chiefs’ offensive line can’t keep him upright or create holes for the running game. I don’t think K.C. can keep up with Houston this week.
John Dillon’s pick: Chiefs win 29-25
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @TheJohnDillon
Even after a big home loss against the Colts, Kansas City is a top team in the NFL, and their Week 6 counterpart has an uphill battle to get a win. Houston boasts a gaudy offense with guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson off to fast starts, and though the defense has some holes its still a solid unit.
The biggest question mark for this game is the Chiefs’ suddenly-mangled defense. They lost a few key players last week against Indianapolis, and are in dire need of a few guys to step up, especially in the linebacker group. Kansas City has spent eight of its last 12 draft picks on defensive talent, and this middle stretch of the season will be a real litmus test for General Manager Brett Veach and his team of talent evaluators.
Though they’re up against the wall defensively and with injuries piling up, the Chiefs should be viewed as the favorite in week 6. Whether the offensive line can keep Patrick Mahomes upright or if Andy Reid can establish a run game remains to be seen, but with their first loss out of the way, Kansas City should have a chip on their shoulder that wasn’t there to start the season.
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Vinciane Ngomsi’s pick: Chiefs win 28-25
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @VincianeNgomsi
The Chiefs are coming off a vulnerable week. So, hosting the Texans adds a lot more added pressure. Two of the best young quarterbacks go head to head again and it makes for another game of the week.
This game may all come down to whoever blocks the offensive line. Both Watson and Mahomes have struggled in that role, but that could be the difference between who emerges victorious Sunday.
Strategically speaking, Houston has a more refined defense. However, that doesn’t that Kansas City hasn’t spent the week reflecting on how the Colts game went. Watson and company are coming off a huge game against the Falcons, so they’re arriving at Arrowhead with a plethora of confidence. Even coming off their first (unexpected) loss of the season, the Chiefs will regroup and even if it is by a few points, they’ll triumph their rival.
Danilo Di Julio’s pick: Chiefs win 38-24
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @ThunderDan88
The Kansas City Chiefs have now lost a game this season. To add injury to insult they also lost Xavier Williams to IR, Chris Jones for a number of weeks, Anthony Hitchens was limited this week and Sammy Watkins did not practice with a hamstring injury. Byron Pringle stepped up nicely with over 100 yards but it wasn’t enough.
Clearly, the Chiefs will need that next man up mentality and signing Stefan Wisniewski should make the line better than it was before last week. I expect to see a very motivated Chiefs team, particularly QB Patrick Mahomes and his receivers, to light up a weak Texans secondary.
Talon Graff’s pick: Chiefs win 31-21
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @CoachGraff34
A tough first loss but the Chiefs now look ahead to Houston. The Texans exploded for 53 points against the Atlanta Falcons in a game where the Dirty Birds led at half 17-16. The final score of the game coming on a pick-six from Texans safety Tashaun Gipson.
Deshaun Watson found his receivers wide open all day. He threw for a career-high 426 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receiver Will Fuller was responsible for 217 of those yards and three of those touchdowns. The scariest part is that the best receiver on the team, arguably in the league, had only 88 yards on the day and no scores. If Houston can catch fire like that without DeAndre Hopkins being heavily involved, the defense needs to be at their best.
For the Chiefs, the main question is how much improvement will we see in the trenches? Against the Colts, the offensive and defensive lines were pushed around the entire game. The line of scrimmage was controlled by Indianapolis all night. The Chiefs lost Chris Jones but maybe we will see some unlikely heroes stepping up. Odds are not in Houston’s favor for another game with those Madden-like numbers. I want to see a bounce-back game for Kelce after his drop infested Sunday Night outing. I see the Chiefs rebounding nicely and getting the win.
Kevin Scott’s pick: Texans win 25-24
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @KevinScottFF
If there is a game on the slate this week that is hard to figure out, this is it. This game could truly go in any of four directions: blowout for the Chiefs, a close game won by the Chiefs, a blowout for the Texans, close game won by the Texans. It is an extremely difficult game to predict.
Against the pass, Houston’s defense has been league average (15th). They are beatable through the air, which is of course where Patrick Mahomes excels. However, the Chiefs’ offensive line is beaten up and they should be down two starters (Eric Fisher and Andrew Wylie). In addition, Cam Erving has been terrible. So Mitchell Schwartz and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif are the only two along the line the Chiefs have been able to depend on. Against JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and Bernardrick McKinney, I anticipate Mahomes will be under consistent pressure. On top of all that bad news, Mahomes is on a bum ankle and his mobility could be limited.
To get around this obvious conundrum, Andy Reid should scheme up some quick passes, like bubble screens and slants, and some end-around plays, to keep Mahomes from having to hold the ball and risking hits. Whether Reid’s scheming will be enough to keep the defense guessing, to protect Mahomes, and to have success through the air is anyone’s guess.
The run game of the Chiefs should be abandoned for the most part in this game. The Chiefs will struggle to run the ball well behind the patchwork line, and Houston is the 6th best defense against the run in the league so far this season. They will run it around 15 times to keep the defense honest, but on the Chiefs’ side of the ball, the game will be won or lost in the passing game.
On Houston’s side, their offense has been fairly efficient, and just above league average, in both the run and pass game. Carlos Hyde has been their main runner, with Duke Johnson mixed in, but like the Chiefs, they seem to run the ball to set up the pass. However, with the Chiefs front line beat up, and with their 30th ranked run defense, I believe Houston will try to lean heavily on the run. An added bonus, as we saw with the Colts last week, is that success in the run game keeps the ball away from Mahomes.
If the Chiefs can find a way to stop the run and force the Texans to pass, potentially leading to some 3rd and long situations, that would be their best path to winning this game. However, if the Texans do whatever they want in the run game as the Colts did, I anticipate this will be another painful game for Chiefs fans.
So how well will the Chiefs protect Mahomes? And how well will the Chiefs stop the run? Those are the key questions, and no one knows the answers. This should lead to a lower-scoring, hard-fought game, just like last week. The winner will come down to who makes the least mistakes, and the most big plays. In the end, I think the Chiefs are too beat up to hold off a surging Texans team, but it will be close and could go either way.
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Ed Easton’s pick: Texans win 35-28
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @EdEastonJr
This week’s matchup with the Houston Texans will really test the defense of the Kansas City Chiefs. The injuries on the defensive line will be a concern for Steve Spagnuolo’s group, trying to contain quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Texans will mix things up with the running game relying on Carlos Hyde to lead the charge against his former training camp club.
Patrick Mahones will do his best to keep the team in contention throughout, but his efforts won’t be enough against a sprites Houston defense led by J.J. Watt. The best up Chiefs team will come up short in this matchup and lose back to back games at Arrowhead stadium. The team will, however, regain momentum once players return the following week.
Mitch Carney’s pick: Chiefs win 21-13
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @MitchMitchcar11
I know things aren’t looking too good for the Chiefs considering all of the injuries and a poor offensive production last week against the Colts, but it’s hard to pick against Patrick Mahomes any week. I’m predicting that the Texans are going to a similar game plan to slow down Mahomes, but the Chiefs will be prepared, especially if Hill plays, and do enough to get the win.
I’m predicting a low scoring game because the key to beating Mahomes is to keep him on the sidelines and playing physical coverage when he’s on the field. Hopefully, Tyrann Mathieu has a big game against his former team and helps slow down Watson who threw five touchdowns just last week.
Max Ramsey’s pick: Chiefs win 31-28
Season record: 4-1
Twitter: @The_Wild_Chief
After a rough outing last week against the Colts, the Chiefs are looking to get back on track with their offense. It’s going to be a tough game going up against a Texans team coming off a big victory putting up over 50 points against the Falcons, but Kansas City should be getting some help on the offensive side of the ball this week with newly signed LG Stefan Wisniewski to help protect Mahomes and hopefully the return of star wideout Tyreek Hill after being sidelined since Week 1.
The defense likely will be missing Chris Jones on the defensive line which will have a large impact on the pass rush and will need players like Frank Clark, Emmanuel Ogbah and Alex Okafor to step up in his absence. The signing of DT Terrell McClain should hopefully help with the run defense, but overall this will likely end up as a shootout when the Texans come to town this week. I think the Chiefs will make it a nerve-wracking game for the fans but ultimately win 31-28.
