Early odds for Texans-Chiefs reflect uncertainty of Patrick Mahomes' ankle injury

If you checked before Week 15 was even finished, the Kansas City Chiefs were set to head into Week 16 as four-point betting favorites against the visiting Houston Texans, according to early lines. The Chiefs looked like they were on their way to an easy victory over the Cleveland Browns and that was setting up an impressive clash of powers in the AFC. And then Patrick Mahomes' injury happened.

Suddenly, the lines began to change and what was already an expectedly tight game slightly favoring the Chiefs became a bit more reinforced on the Texans' side. In fact, Houston is now a 2.5-3 point favorite, depending on where you look.

Mahomes, at this stage, is "week-to-week" with an ankle injury that Andy Reid described as a "wait and see" sort of concern. There's no way of knowing just how Mahomes' ankle will swell or handle the load of playing quarterback until its had time to heal from the previous go-around. Given the short week before Saturday's game at Arrowhead, threading this needle is even more difficult for K.C.'s training staff.

With the playoff race tightening, this matchup at Arrowhead Stadium carries weight for both teams, albeit for different reasons.

While Kansas City has been a perennial powerhouse and is the home team here, the Chiefs have struggled to consistently cover the spread this season, making this line intriguing for bettors.

It's clear that bettors are unclear about how to handle the lines for Texans vs Chiefs.

For the Chiefs, securing home-field advantage in the AFC remains the priority and fortunately, they're in pole position to do so. At 13-1, Kansas City has a slight lead over the Buffalo Bills for the top seed and full control over their fate—which is the most that any team could ask for at this time of year.

As for the Texans, they're looking to build on last season's surprising success with an even deeper playoff run. A win against the Chiefs would go a long way toward establishing confidence in their ability to make noise after a bit of a frustrating regular season in which they've lost more games than most would have expected. Fortunately, they play in the league's worst division: the AFC South.

Will it be Mahomes? Will it be Carson Wentz? These lines are subject to shift at any moment with the latest health updates, so proceed accordingly.

The Chiefs and Texans will kick off on Saturday, December 21 at noon C.T.