Houston Texans Preview

First let’s get something straight, the Chiefs were the Dallas Texans from 1960-1962 where they won an AFL Championship. They were the first with the name and the first to win a Championship in Dallas (Sorry Cowboy fans!).

Coaching

Bill O’Brien, a disciple of Bill Belichick, turned the Texans around last year and finished with a record of 9-7. He served as the Patriots Offensive Coordinator and QB coach before accepting the Head Coaching job at Penn State University and last year became the Head Coach of the Houston Texans. His rigid coaching style and Offensive game calling has enabled the Texans to get back to respectability. It will take more than coaching to win this game.

EDGE – Chiefs

QB

Last year Houston traded for Ryan Mallet and is not starting for them as of yet. The starting QB will be Brian Hoyer, who signed with them in March, and has only 17 starts in the NFL. He has thrown for over 4500 yards with a 56% completion rate, his touchdowns and interceptions are even at 19. He started the most games with the Cleveland Browns after starting his career in New England with a couple of stops in between. With two inexperienced quarterbacks, Kansas City’s secondary should be able to create some turnovers in the passing game.

EDGE – Chiefs Secondary

RB

Houston will be without their coveted running back Arian Foster due to injury and will have to start second year man Alfred Blue. Blue did rush for over 500 yards last year with an average of just over 3 yards per carry. He is a formidable backup to Foster but

may not be able to gain the yards against Kansas City’s front 7. Behind him is 3rd year man Jonathan Grimes who has not seen much action.

EDGE – Chiefs Front 7

WR

Deandre Hopkins is as explosive as they come, piling up over 1200 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. The Chiefs secondary will have their hands full trying to cover him man on man and Hopkins can beat the zone defense with his speed. Houston did lose their all-time WR, Andre Johnson, to Indy in free agency. On the other side will be Nate Washington who may not pose much of a problem but has a knack for getting open on shorter out routes. Kansas City will be playing younger cornerbacks, due to Sean Smith’s suspension, and may have a problem with man to man coverage. The safeties will be vital in this matchup.

EDGE – EVEN

Offensive Line

LT Duane Brown is a solid blocker and pass protector but the rest of the O-Line may have a lot of problems with Kansas City’s Front 7. C Ben Jones may experience some problems up front because of the size of the D-Line but may be easier if Poe is not in the lineup. Look for the Texans to either run the ball behind LT Brown or RG Brandon Brooks. Pass protection will be almost nonexistent for this O-Line against Kansas City’s constant blitzing and the likes of Houston and Hali. Look for a lot of swing plays and screens to keep Houston in check.

EDGE – Chiefs Front 7

Defense

The Houston Texans have a very formidable defense with JJ Watt, 2014 DPOY, and Jadavon Clowney, although he will not start. Watt will be all over the field running down plays and getting after QB Alex Smith. He sometimes covers the TE but Kelce would have a great advantage in this matchup. NT Vince Wilfork was brought in to anchor the D-Line and is familiar with Coach Bill O’Brien. The Chiefs O-Line will have their hands full protecting QB Alex Smith and opening holes for RB Jamaal Charles and company; this is where games are won or lost – IN THE TRENCHES. In the MIKE position is Brian Cushing who had an outstanding year in 2011 before his injury; smart football player with good speed to the ball and a sure tackler. Houston’s secondary is adequate but someone will really need to step up in this game or the Chiefs Aerial attack will take over and make for a long day for this secondary. The game breaker will be TE Travis Kelce (Zeus); there is no one on the Texans roster that matchup with him off of the line. Look for the seam route to be open often and poor tackling in the secondary.

EDGE – EVEN

Look for the Texans to try and control the ball and the clock. They are well coached and may not make any mistakes in the turnover department. The Chiefs are a more talented football team than a year ago and will score quickly on offense. The Chiefs defense will hold the Texans offense to less than 300 yards total and will welcome back Eric Berry and Derrick Johnson with a win on the road.

FINAL SCORE – KC 34 – Texans 10