The Houston Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium.
The Texans haven’t beaten the Chiefs since Oct. 13, 2019 in what feels like an entirely different reality altogether. Sunday’s matchup may be another extension of Kansas City’s win streak against Houston — currently at two games, including the playoffs.
The Texans are going to give it their all — the most “all” that a 1-11-1 club can muster. Kansas City is in a tightly contested race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They won’t be overlooking the Texans.
To help preview the matchup for Week 15, Charles Goldman from the Chiefs Wire fielded a few questions about Kansas City.
How big is this Week 15 matchup for the Chiefs?
CG — I’d say it’s a pretty big game for them in terms of their goals this season. It all starts with winning the AFC West division for Kansas City and they can clinch that with a victory over the Texans in Week 15. The Chiefs are also trying to keep pace with the Buffalo Bills in hopes that they slip up and surrender the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They have every reason to keep their foot on the gas and give Houston their all as opposed to looking ahead on a short week.
What have Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy done so well to move on from Tyreek Hill?
CG — I mean, it certainly helps when you still have the best tight end in the game in Travis Kelce and a wizard at quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. Look, I think they really evaluated their personnel and instead of investing a ton of money into an elite player like Tyreek Hill, they diversified their assets and added depth across the board. On a weekly basis, you have 10 or more guys getting targets in this offense and really it can be anyone’s week to be featured opposite Kelce.
Is Bieniemy getting the same attention for coaching vacancies as he did in 2020 and 2021?
CG — Absolutely not and it’s really a shame. Most people who claim to be in the know would tell you that he’s missed the boat on a head-coaching job, but they won’t tell you why. I really think this season is some of his most impressive work yet, especially given all the talk about how the offense would regress without Tyreek Hill. Here it is in Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season and as efficient as ever. I think teams go into coaching searches with a specific idea of what they want in a head coach. Maybe Bieniemy doesn’t fit a number of those criteria, but I guarantee that he could find success in the right situation. All he needs is a chance.
How is Justin Reid working out for you?
CG — Honestly, probably better than fans will give him credit for. He recently ran his mouth to a reporter ahead of the Bengals game, speaking confidently about himself and the defense. It was bulletin board material for Cincy’s offense and didn’t go well. Right now Chiefs Kingdom is pretty down on him. The reality is that he’s been pretty good in coverage this season, but his play has been rather unspectacular. He has no turnovers on the year and hasn’t been what I’d describe as an impact defender. Really, his biggest moment was a hit stick against the Bills back in Week 6. It’d really be nice to see him have a big performance with some game-changing plays in his Houston homecoming.
Who are some unheralded Chiefs Houston fans should keep an eye on?
CG — Given that the Texans haven’t been particularly great at defending the run this season, I’ll go with the running backs. Isiah Pacheco is a rookie seventh-round draft pick that is literally making NFL history with his level of production. He runs like he’s trying to break through a brick wall and is an absolute load to tackle. Jerick McKinnon is coming off a massive performance as a pass-catcher, but he’s been pretty solid running the ball too. He’s more of a change-of-pace guy, who the team likes to use on zone running plays. If the game gets particularly one-sided you could see Ronald Jones, who is a downhill bruiser. He has fresh legs because they haven’t used him much at all this season.
What is your prediction?
CG — Even if the Texans were fully healthy, which they’re not, I think the talent deficit is pretty big here. Houston will get some points because that’s just the nature of the K.C. defense at this point. I expect the Chiefs to actually cover the spread this week and win comfortably by two scores, though. Chiefs 35, Texans 20
