Tag: texans

Chiefs vs Texans Playoff Preview

by Brady Vaughan, posted in NFL

The NFL playoffs are off to a sizzling start with two of the four Wild Card round games going into overtime, a Tennessee Titans victory over the Patriots in Foxborough, and another heartbreaking loss for the New Orleans Saints at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

This upcoming weekend, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes II take on the Houston Texans and stud quarterback Deshaun Watson, who essentially willed his team to victory by being great last week against the Buffalo Bills.

For starters, these two teams played back in Arrowhead Stadium, the site of Sunday’s divisional round matchup,  back in Week Six of the regular season in early October. The Texans won that matchup 31-24. In that game, the Texans out-gained the Chiefs 472 yards to 309 yards. The Texans also ran for 192 yards and also got 35 first downs in that game while the Chiefs only ran for 58 yards and got 20 first downs. However the Texans did turn the ball over three times compared to KC’s two turnovers, two of which were Deshaun Watson interceptions.

However, I believe none of that matters this time around. The Chiefs were without a significant number of starters for that matchup, including starting DT Chris Jones, starting OL Andrew Wylie and Eric Fisher, starting WR Sammy Watkins, starting LB Anthony Hitchens as well as LB Dorian O’Daniel. Furthermore starting CB Kendall Fuller left midway through the second quarter with an injury, and star WR Tyreek Hill was just coming back from his injury. QB Patrick Mahomes also twisted his ankle during the game which hindered his ability to escape the pocket and extend plays. Simply put: the Chiefs were wounded.

That is not to say that the Texans were not without their own injuries. Starting WR Kenny Stills missed the game the last time these teams met as well. Stills had a decent regular season, hauling in 40 catches for 561 yards and 4 TD’s. It’s not the type of numbers that will wow any one person, but those numbers are respectable and force defenses to pay attention to him, which opens up more targets and takes more attention away from guys like Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller.

Below are three keys to the game for both teams that I believe will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.

KEYS TO THE GAME FOR THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: 

  • Kansas City must convert on 3rd down. They convert on average 47.6% of their third downs throughout the season. The Texans ate up roughly 40 minutes of game clock last time these teams met. That cannot happen if the Chiefs expect to win this game. Converting on third down and extending drives will ensure the Texans do not have the ball for that long this time around.
  • Kansas City must stop the rushing attack of the Texans. They rushed for 192 yards last time they met. The Chiefs defense has played well lately, giving up only an average of 95 rushing yards over the last six weeks.
  • Kansas City must pressure Deshaun Watson consistently throughout the game. Deshaun takes the most sacks out of any QB in the league, but there were two games this season in which he was not sacked. One of those games was when he last faced the Chiefs in Week Six. The Chiefs must pressure Watson and sack him a couple of times in order to find success in this game. Having DT Chris Jones back and adding DE Terrell Suggs to the defensive line this time around should help the Chiefs be able to do so.

KEYS TO THE GAME FOR THE HOUSTON TEXANS:

  • Protect Deshaun Watson. Contrary to one of the keys for the Chiefs, Houston must protect Watson. He has been under pressure for much of the season. When he was not sacked against the Chiefs, Watson threw for 280 yards and one TD while also running for 42 yards and two TD’s. The less pressure Watson is under, the more time he has to make better decisions and throw the ball accurately to his receiving core.
  • Contain the Chiefs running game. The Texans must try to make the Chiefs one dimensional. Now forcing Patrick Mahomes to drop back and throw with all those weapons around him might not sound like a bad idea to all the Chiefs fans, but I believe Houston should aim to make the Chiefs one dimensional. This allows the Texans defense to more accurately defend against the deadly passing attack Kansas City possesses. If the Texans stop the Chiefs’ run game, this will allow guys like DE JJ Watt, DE DJ Reader, and LB Whitney Mercilus to pin their ears back and go all out on rushing the quarterback in order to attempt forcing Mahomes into some bad decisions.
  • Get all three main wide receivers involved. The Chiefs are missing rookie standout safety Juan Thornhill, who tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers in the regular season finale for the Chiefs. This forces second year safety Armani Watts to step into a bigger role. Watts has not seen as many reps as Thornhill, and I believe the Texans should try to take advantage of that by stretching the field vertically against the Chiefs’ secondary. Hopkins is one of the top three receivers in the league in my book, so he obviously needs to be involved, but the play of Will Fuller and Kenny Stills could go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

PREDICTION:

The Chiefs are 10 point favorites according to Vegas, but I think it’ll be closer than that. I think the Chiefs convert on third down to help keep the Texans offense off the field for less than 40 minutes (which is how long they were on the field last time these teams met). However, I like Houston’s ability to challenge the Chiefs’ defense, who has been good as of late, but has not faced the best QB’s the last six weeks. While the Chiefs did face Tom Brady in Foxborough, they also faced an aging Phillip Rivers (twice), rookie Drew Lock, Derek Carr, and Mitchell Trubisky. Deshaun is definitively better than most of those quarterbacks, but I believe the Chiefs defense will play better than last time these teams met. The Chiefs will limit the Texan’s rushing attack and will create some pressure on Deshaun. Mahomes will have his full compliment of weapons and a way improved defense behind his back. Add in the home field advantage, and I see the Chiefs walking away with the win. I’ll take Kansas City to win 27-20. 

As always, you can find me on twitter as @bradyvaughan30

NFL Playoff Preview and Picks

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NFL

The NFL playoffs are upon us and each playoff team has hopes of making it to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida to partake in Super Bowl LIV. Like a typical college student, I procrastinated on this assignment thus, there won’t be too much in-depth analysis on each playoff team. However, I will be giving my playoff predictions which will culminate with who I believe will be holding the Lombardi Trophy come February 2nd, 2020. Let’s start with the AFC.

AFC:

6. Tennessee Titans v. 3. New England Patriots: Will the Patriots dynasty end this year? It is becoming more and more likely. However, I have the utmost faith that they will not fall at the hands of Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots defense is just too good and its Tom Brady and Bill Belichik in Foxborough. Give me the Patriots winning in a close one.

5. Buffalo Bills vs. 4. Houston Texans: Will the Texans choke once again in the playoffs? I wouldn’t doubt it. This Bills team has surprised everyone this year and is playing very good football at the moment. However, the Texans activated J.J. Watt this week and it looks like he is in line to play which will bring much needed energy to the home crowd at NRG. I think Deshaun Watson makes enough plays down the stretch to give the home team the victory.

4. Houston Texans vs. 1. Baltimore Ravens: Coming off a very close win against the Bills, the Texans season will end when they visit the Ravens. Lamar Jackson and Co. will continue their brilliance and will roll in this one.

3. New England Patriots vs. 2. Kansas City Chiefs: In a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game, I believe Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid get their revenge and officially put an end to the Patriots’ dynasty. While the Pats’ defense will keep them in the game, their abysmal offense, which has hindered them all season, will be the final nail in the coffin. Give me the Chiefs at Arrowhead.

2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 1. Baltimore Ravens: Yes, I am boring choosing the top 2 seeds to face off in the AFC championship. However, these are the 2 best teams by far in this conference. The Ravens have just looked so impressive all season and it is tough to abandon the ship now. While both teams will put up points, the Ravens have the far better defense which will make enough stops to win them the game. For the first time since winning it all with Joe Flacco in 2013, the Ravens will play in the Super Bowl.

NFC:

6. Minnesota Vikings vs. 3. New Orleans Saints: The Vikings are a very dangerous team and were the game to be played at U.S. Bank Stadium, I’d confidently choose them to prevail. However, its Drew Brees and Sean Payton at the Superdome. After last year’s crushing loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship, the Saints are hungry and motivated. In another thriller, similar to the 2018 divisional round matchup between the 2 teams, I like the Saints to get their revenge on the Vikings.

5. Seattle Seahawks vs. 4. Philadelphia Eagles: I have been riding the Seahawks train since the 2019 season began and if you have been following my Picks from God you know I hate to bet against Russell Wilson. However, it is very hard to beat a team twice in a season and the Seahawks have looked very vulnerable these last few weeks. The Eagles magically flip a switch in the playoffs and I like the home underdogs at Lincoln Financial Field. The Seahawks just have too many injuries on the offensive line for my liking. Due to one of the dumbest rules in sports, the Eagles have home-field advantage and I believe that will be one of the main difference makers in the contest.

4. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 1. San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers win this game by 3 touchdowns. They have just looked so impressive this whole season. Further, the Eagles will be coming off a very close game at home which will take every ounce of manpower. I think the 49ers defense wreaks havoc on Carson Wentz and Jimmy G has his way with the Eagles secondary. 49ers roll.

3. New Orleans Saints vs. 2. Green Bay Packers: Am I really picking against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in one of the harshest weather conditions in all of sports? Yes, I am. Like I said earlier, the Saints are hungry and motivated. This pick makes no logical sense especially after reviewing Drew Brees stat lines in cold-weather games. But I truly believe this is the Saints year and I think their offense does just enough to salvage a win in the tundra.

3. New Orleans Saints vs. 1. San Francisco 49ers: It is tough to beat a team twice in a season and it took everything the 49ers had earlier in the season to knock off the Saints on the road. Yes, the Saints will be coming off a very hard fought win in Lambeau, but Drew Brees is hungry for another Super Bowl and will have his team prepared. The 49ers are the better overall football team and logically this pick doesn’t make sense. But I think the Saints have a massive chip on their shoulder and come out victorious by the bay.

Super Bowl:

New Orleans Saints vs. Baltimore Ravens: This game will have plenty of hype as it will be the old vs. the new in a QB battle between Drew Brees and Lamar Jackson. The big game will not disappoint and fans will get more than they bargained for. In an all-time classic, I think the veteran Brees outlasts newcomer Jackson. Neither team will lead by more than a FG and I think Brees connects with WR Michael Thomas late in the 4th quarter to give the Saints the win. After last year’s incredible heartbreak, the Saints will lift the Lombardi Trophy high as winners of Super Bowl LIV.