The Houston Texans are moving on. After beating the Buffalo Bills 22-19 in an overtime thriller, they will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in the divisional round at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Texans are underdogs. That should come as no surprise. The Chiefs are tough to play at home in the playoffs. They are coming off of a bye week that allowed them to rest up and haven’t lost a football game since Nov. 10. It also doesn’t hurt that they have Patrick Mahomes and a much-improved defense.
However, the Texans aren’t a team to count out in the race for the Super Bowl. They beat the Chiefs 31-24 in Week 6. Here are three reasons why they will advance to the AFC Championship game.
1. A stocked cupboard of weapons
The Chiefs’ defense is much-improved. The additions of Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu appear to be paying dividends when it matters most. However, the Texans’ offense has a fighting chance to take down a surging defense.
In Houston’s Week 6 victory in Kansas City, they saw DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller play, but no Kenny Stills, as he was dealing with a hamstring. On Sunday, all three are expected to play, as Fuller should come back after missing the last two games due to a groin.
The Texans’ full wide receiver corps could give the Chiefs’ defense problems. Houston’s offense is a different monster with Fuller on the field. The Texans are 7-2 when he starts and finishes games. The Chiefs saw that in Week 6, even if he dropped three touchdowns. Now, they will have to defend an offense with Fuller and a reliable speedster in Stills.