Everyone acknowledges the Houston Texans have the toughest two games to start the 2020 season. On Sept. 10, the AFC South champions open up on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Houston then opens up NRG Stadium in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, who earned the No. 1 seed int he AFC last season.
The Texans defense faces the previous two years’ MVPs in quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
Texans safety Justin Reid sees the toughest part of the schedule as a chance to send a warning shot across the bow of the entire league.
“We take home those two Ws, then other teams are going to be like: ‘The Houston Texans are the team to look out for,'” Reid told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Reid, who collected 78 tackles, two interceptions, five breakups, and a fumble recovery in 15 games last year, wants the best the NFL has to offer.
“We don’t want to play scrubs,” said Reid. “We want to play the best. We want to beat the best. It’s going to be an awesome opportunity to go against Patrick Mahomes again. There will be fireworks flying and an exciting game for everybody to watch.”
Week 1 features a 2019 AFC divisional playoff rematch between Houston and Kansas City. Despite the Texans leading 24-0, the Chiefs stormed back to blowout Houston 51-31 en route to winning Super Bowl LIV.
While Reid admits it isn’t difficult to fire him up for a game, that particular aspect of redemption stirs his motivational juices.
Said Reid: “I think this is an opportunity for us to get the taste out of our mouth. It’s an opportunity for us to set a standard for who we’re going to be the entire season. The first three games right off the gate, especially the first two games (with) Kansas City and Baltimore right out of the gate, I think that is going to set a precedent.”
After the Texans face the Chiefs and Ravens, they go on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Texans are 2-0 ahead of that matchup, Pittsburgh will know they are hosting a juggernaut at Heinz Field.