Chiefs vs. Texans: 3 key matchups to watch
By David Thomas
Chiefs Offensive Line vs. Texans Defensive Line
It’s amazing what the Chiefs have been able to do in the run game this season. The Chiefs lead the league with 163.5 rushing yards per game despite injuries to both of their starting guards and center. Only tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher have started all four games this season. Now on the flip side of that, the Chiefs currently have the lowest rated pass protection in the NFL. The Chiefs are currently 2nd in sacks given up (16) and led the league in adjusted sack rate (11.8%).
The Texans despite their well known personnel including J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus the Texans rank just 13th against the run and 7th in pass rushing by Football Outsiders. Still above average, but not quite what we would expect from a line featuring a 3x DPoY. Already this season we’ve seen the Texans give up over 150 yards rushing and over 300 yards passing to opposing teams.
However, last season in the Chiefs week 2 matchup against the Texans we saw the Texans take down Alex Smith 4 times and force 3 fumbles. So which version of the Texans defense will we see this week? My prediction for this matchup is the Texans get away with 2 sacks, but both come in the first half of the game.