In week 16, the Texans went into Arrowhead and battled the Chiefs in what was a much closer game than the score showed. Both teams had great moments, but the Chiefs were able to put together a couple long drives towards the end to help drain the clock and any time left for Houston to come back. Now, they meet again in Arrowhead, this time for a trip to the AFC Championship game on the line. The Texans look to continue their momentum from their dominant win over the Chargers, while the Chiefs come off a bye (2 weeks for most starters) and look to keep on track for their beloved 3-peat.

Keys to the game: Texans

1. Limit turnovers and mistakes: In week 16, the Texans committed 8 penalties for 65 yards, while the Chiefs only committed 2 for 20. Stroud also threw 2 INT and was sacked twice, one of which was for a loss of 12 to end their last drive of the game. If you want to beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead, you will have to do it while also being disciplined. Do not get behind the sticks and don’t give the Chiefs free yards.
2. Win the Time of Possession: Going back to week 16, the Chiefs won the Time of Possession battle, which killed the Texans to end the game. If you can extend drives and capitalize with points, you put yourself in the best possible opportunity to win, by keeping Mahomes off the Field.
3. Get up early: The majority of the Chief’s Starters are coming off 2 weeks’ rest, and that means there’s a good chance they come out a little rusty and slow to start. If you can force them to play from behind, you have more control over the game, allowing you to run the clock a little easier. Ride the momentum from last week’s win.

Keys to the game: Chiefs

1. Shake off the rust: Take everything I just said for the Texans, and it is the opposite for the Chiefs. Get up early, and make sure there isn’t any rust from a couple of weeks off. This is a young team with not a ton of playoff experience. If you get up big early, there’s a chance it will break them and it will be an easy win.
2. Play clean football: In your loss to Buffalo, the Bills won both the Turnover battle and the line of scrimmage, sacking Mahomes and Picking him off twice for both, while not getting a single sack on Allen. Don’t give the Texans more opportunities to score.
3. Stop the run: Joe Mixon is one of the best RBs in the league this season, and he missed a few games early. Do not sleep on him or it will bite you. If you can limit the run game, then the pass game will be that much easier to handle. Nico Collins is going to get his looks, but you can help limit the damage he and Stroud can do if you take the run game out of the equation.

Game Prediction: The Chiefs are coming in confident, yet hungry, and they are at home. It feels like we have yet to see a true complete game from this team, which is odd. When you look at it, it should be an easy Chiefs win. But on the flip side, this Texans team is piping hot at the right time, and if riding the wave of momentum that we all know can help make things more even. I believe the Chiefs are going to come out slower than normal, due to the 2-week vacation for most of your stars, and the Texans are going to keep the foot on the gas and get out to an early lead, but I do believe as the game nears the end the Chiefs will capitalize on a few mistakes and squeak out a tight victory. I have the Chiefs just 2 games away from their 3rd Championship in 3 years, 30-27.

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