Location
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo
Time
8:20pm ET
1:20am Friday UK time
Coverage
NBC
Game Pass
Chiefs Radio Network 106.5 The Wolf
Team Records
Chiefs 0-0
Texans 0-0
Last 3 games
Oct 8th 2017 Chiefs 42 @ Texans 34
Oct 13th 2019 Texans 31 @ Chiefs 24
Jan 12th 2020 Texans 31 @ Chiefs 51
The story so far
Last season is history. Against the odds it looks like the beginning of a new season that looked so unlikely a couple of months ago. Will we finish it? Who knows. But it begins Thursday night with the Texans coming back to the venue of the last humiliation. Up 24 in the 2nd quarter? You can peak too soon. The Chiefs were about to go on a scoring spree like no other putting up 41 unanswered points, kickstarting the run to the Super Bowl.
In a season where continuity is crucial, the Chiefs bring back the vast majority of the starters fro last season, with the addition of Clyde Edwards-Helaire who looks primed to help take this offence to another level again. A scary thought for the rest of the league.
Meanwhile, in Houston, Bill O’Brien continues to give everyone hope that they too can be an NFL General Manager as he blunders his way through questionable decision after questionable decision. It’s like he’s the CPU on a Franchise mode game of Madden. Can I have your prime WR in exchange for a 2nd round pick and an injured RB that doesn’t fit the scheme? Sure thing! It’s all on DeShaun Watson’s shoulders now and his 4 year, $160m contract.
Head to head
Chiefs lead 7-5
Team Leaders
Nobody yet!
One to watch
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
If half of what CEH did in college translates to the NFL then we are dropping 50 burgers week in, week out. The ability to make the first guy miss, coupled with the other weapons the Chiefs have to cover could well make for a fantasy football dream (I hope so, I drafted him in the 1st round…). He brings the Kareem Hunt element to the offence without the off field issues.
Key Matchup
JJ Watt v Chiefs O Line.
Does Watt still have it? Not sure. 3, 5, 16, 8 are the amount of games he’s played in the last 4 years. The best ability you can have? Availability. He has still has 20 sacks in the last 2 years though, so when healthy he can still be disruptive. The Chiefs return their bookend Tackles, but in between it’s a bit more worriesome. Questions remain over Wylie, Reiter and Osemele and Watt will provide an interesting early test.
Odds
Chiefs by 9.5
Game points 53.5
I think I’d take The Texans to cover the spread and the over on the points, but I can’t say I’d be confident to have cold hard cash on the line.
