Arrowhead Pride
Kansas City is looking for another AFC win as it inches toward the conference’s top seed.
In Week 16 of the NFL season, the (13-1) Kansas City Chiefs will host the (9-5) Houston Texans as the two teams begin a unique stretch of the schedule. They will square off at noon Arrowhead Time on Saturday. Then both will prepare for another game on Christmas Day — which is on Wednesday.
Like the Chiefs, the Texans have already clinched one of the AFC’s top four seeds by winning the AFC South. Kansas City needs to keep winning to hold off the (10-3) Buffalo Bills as they try for the No. 1 seed. Now in the fourth spot, Houston has a chance to move up to the No. 3 seed by picking up more victories.
It will be the first matchup between the Chiefs’ superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Texans’ second-year franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud. Mahomes was a full participant in practice all week, working through the ankle sprain he sustained during Sunday’s 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns. He was not given an injury designation for Saturday’s game; he is expected to play.
All of Chiefs Kingdom will be keeping an eye on the two-time MVP. Here are five other things to watch in this matchup.
Against the Browns, the Chiefs shifted left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle and put reserve offensive lineman Mike Caliendo in Thuney’s spot. That arrangement looked sturdy for most of Sunday’s game — but on Saturday, it will get another strong test. The Texans have the league’s second-most sacks (45) and pressure rate (38.2%).
The group is led by two stellar edge defenders: veteran Danielle Hunter has 12 sacks, primarily from the right side of the offensive formation. Second-year EDGE Will Anderson Jr. has 10.5 sacks rushing from all over the defensive front.
Defensive tackle Tim Settle — the primary interior rusher — also has five sacks. He feels confident in Houston’s ability to get to Mahomes.
To keep its offense in rhythm (and out of trouble), Kansas City will need a game plan similar to what it used in Cleveland, when it built a 21-point lead with impactful runs and strong designs to get players open.
In that game, Mahomes avoided both sacks and turnovers. That will also be important against Houston, which has the league’s third-best turnover differential (+13). It’s also crucial that Mahomes is kept clean, which will require a commitment from both him and the offensive play-calling to avoid those situations.
In 2024, Houston has used Joe Mixon as a true workhorse running back. Only two others average more rushing attempts per game than Mixon (19.7).
He will face a Chiefs’ defense that is still one of the best at stuffing run plays. The Chiefs are tied for allowing the second-fewest yards per carry (3.9). To put quarterback C.J. Stroud into disadvantageous positions, that trend...
