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The Kansas City Chiefs defense could get a significant boost for its divisional-round matchup with the Houston Texans. After missing three months with an ankle injury, starting cornerback Jaylen Watson was activated off injured reserve on Friday and is eligible to take the field on Saturday.
The Chiefs simultaneously elevated linebacker Swayze Bozeman and safety Deon Bush from the practice squad for the game at the same time that they activated Watson, they announced on social media. It is unclear how much Watson will play, or if he will return to the starting lineup.
Rumors of the Chiefs activating Watson have been circulating all week, but the team made the move official on Friday. In the six games he has played, the Chiefs have limited opponents to 17 points per game.
Entering the year, the team had high expectations for Watson in his third season. He lived up to the hype for six weeks, racking up 32 tackles and six pass breakups over the first month-and-a-half before missing the final 11 games.
In his absence, third-year Joshua Williams has started opposite star cornerback Trent McDuffie. Williams has been admirable in his vacancy, notching 33 tackles, six pass breakups and one sack.
With McDuffie likely to shadow star wideout Nico Collins, Watson should spend most of the game on speedster John Metchie III. The Texans’ receiving corps took a beating throughout the regular season, leaving Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell inactive for the game.
One month after facing each other in Week 16, the Chiefs and Texans will run it back with both of their seasons on the line. Kansas City is coming off its first-round bye, while Houston will ride the momentum of its first-round upset of the Los Angeles Chargers into the contest.
The first matchup resulted in one of the Chiefs’ 11 one-score victories of the year. Both quarterbacks struggled against each other’s pass defenses in the game, each averaging just 6.3 yards per attempt. C.J. Stroud threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in the game to Patrick Mahomes’ one touchdown and no turnovers.
However, while the Chiefs get Watson back for the game, the Texans will still be without slot receiver Dell. He led the team with 98 receiving yards in the first matchup. Dell suffered a gruesome leg injury while hauling in a touchdown pass in their Week 16 meeting, which has since ended his season.
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