Wild Card round: Chiefs-Texans and all others

Folks, welcome to the playoffs. This is the National Football League’s golden hours, when the best 12 teams in the game go head-to-head for a chase to raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy. After a disastrous 1-5 start, the Kansas City Chiefs clawed their way back into contention and eventually the postseason, checking in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC.

Here, we will go over each game and try to break down what to expect, capped off with a prediction.

Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at Houston Texans

Kansas City (11-5) played Houston (9-7) in Week 1 and dominated Brian Hoyer and the Texans. The Chiefs were leading 27-9 at halftime after forcing an interception and a Hoyer fumble in the red zone, converting the turnovers into 14 points. Alex Smith was dialed in and Travis Kelce was balling, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter.

However, much time has passed since Week 1. Houston is playing very well on defense led by sack-masters J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. The secondary has also improved tremendously after Rahim Moore was benched. Still, Kansas City should be able to attack this defense with Jeremy Maclin and Kelce. Maclin has a tough matchup in Johnathan Joseph, but he has enough ability to have a nice game.

Defensively, the Chiefs simply can’t have breakdowns. Kansas City should crush this offense, with DeAndre Hopkins being the only true weapon. Houston has no capable running back or tight end, and both Cecil Short and Nate Washington are uncertain to play. Most importantly, star left tackle Duane Brown tore his quad in Week 17 and is out. Now, it is Chris Clark and Derek Newton facing Tamba Hali and Justin Houston.

Ultimately, Houston won’t score enough to beat Kansas City. This game won’t be a blowout by any means, but the Chiefs are the better team provided they avoid turnovers and ample penalties.

Pick: Kansas City 20, Houston 13

Next: Steelers at Bengals