The Houston Texans may have already got the win against the Kansas City Chiefs, their upcoming divisional playoff opponent, in their home venue, Arrowhead Stadium. However, don’t assume it will be the same 31-24 win Texans fans relished from Week 6.
The Texans and Chiefs of today are quite simply not the same sides they were on Oct. 13.
Texans’ additions
First off, Deshaun Watson’s offense was without both wide receiver Kenny Stills and second-year tight end Jordan Thomas. While the latter will likely see little game time come to the divisional matchup, Stills has shown himself to be a reliable and unpredictable target throughout the course of the season.
The former Miami Dolphin already has four receptions for 46 yards this postseason, and with fellow receiver Will Fuller possibly back this week, the fully stocked receiver corps could be hard for the Chiefs to control.
The biggest changes from Houston’s point of view between today and last October is their revamped secondary. While they are now without starting safety Tashaun Gipson, who notched an interception against quarterback Patrick Mahomes, they have stabilized and upgraded their cornerback group considerably since Week 6.
Due to injuries both prior to and during their eventual victory in Kansas, the Texans were left with free agent Philip Gaines and rookies Lonnie Johnson and Xavier Crawford to take much of the brunt of Mahomes’ notorious canon-esque right arm. This time around it will be down to former first-round picks Bradley Roby, Gareon Conley, and Vernon Hargreaves, as well as veteran Johnathan Joseph, assuming he is healthy.