The Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on a completely outmatched opponent in Week 15 in their tilt against the Houston Texans. The 1-10-1 Texans have struggled to find any traction since the season started, and face long odds to come out of this matchup with their second win.
But, to Houston’s credit, they’ve hung tough with opponents lately. Their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday came down to the game’s final offensive possession, and they put together a rock-solid second half against the Miami Dolphins in Week 12. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn’t taking the challenge of the Texans lightly, and told reporters on Wednesday that he thinks the screen game could play a role in coming out of his matchup against their underrated defense with a win.
The timing of when they might run the screen passes, Mahomes said, would be key to their success.
“I think we just do a great job of tying plays together; I think that’s the biggest thing,” Mahomes explained. “We make it all look like it’s the same and [Andy Reid] just really gets call timing – it seems like every time he calls the screen it’s on a pressure and it’s called right into it. It’s a thing where we – the coaches do a great job of designing it and hiding it all together then Coach Reid does a great job and [Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy] EB of calling it at the right time. Whenever it gets open, it can get a lot of extra yards.”
Kansas City doesn’t have a week off against Houston, even if conventional wisdom might tell some fans otherwise. They have an undeniable quarterback advantage and a much more established offense, but even Mahomes and his crew have been caught off balance at times this season.
Execution will be key in this game, and if the Chiefs have to make their money in the screen game, their coaching staff should look to exploit any opening that the Texans’ defense gives them.
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