Fresh off securing a second consecutive AFC South division title, the Houston Texans hit the road on a short week to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 16.
With a win, Houston would inch closer to securing the No. 3 seed in the AFC postseason picture.
Houston (9-5) enters Saturday’s showdown a 3-point road underdog against Kansas City (13-1) according to odds from BetMGM. The over/under for points is currently set at 42.
The Texans are preparing for two different quarterbacks as they begin prep. Three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns and is expected to be listed as “week-to-week.”
“I want to be able to move. I want to be able to get out of the way. [Houston’s] is a good pass rush, a good defense. They fly around,” Mahomes said Tuesday. “You don’t want to go out there and put yourself in harm’s way. Obviously, it’s football and you’re going to take hits, but you want to be able to protect yourself. So that’ll be where I’m at and I don’t want to limit the game plan.
“It’s about me finding that balance and seeing where I’m at … I won’t know until kind of close to the end of this week.”
Should the Texans win, they would hold head-to-head victories over Kansas City and Buffalo should the records be the same. On Wednesday, the Texans face off against Baltimore, which could win the AFC North with victories over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
If Houston were to win all three outings, it would at worst, be the No. 3 seed in the playoff, thus leading to a potential second game at NRG Stadium in the AFC Divsional Round.
Kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium is scheduled for noon CT. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.