Maybe the most exciting matchup of the NFL’s divisional playoff round takes place on Sunday afternoon when the Houston Texans travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. Two of the most electric quarterbacks in the league will go head to head with the right to head to the AFC Championship Game on the line.
The Texans are coming off a thrilling Wild Card victory against the Buffalo Bills. Late in the third quarter, Houston was down 16-0 and hadn’t really got anything going on offense.
After the Bills kicked their third field goal of the game, Houston got rolling. A 75-yard touchdown drive got them back in the game, and Deshaun Watson won the game in overtime.
The Chiefs have had the last week off after clinching a first-round bye after a great 12-4 season. Their season featured many highs and lows, from beating the Patriots and handing them their third loss of the season, to losing Patrick Mahomes for multiple games early in the season. That win over the Patriots ended up being key in the race for the number two seed, as they both finished with 12 wins on the year.
Kansas City is a 9.5-point favorite going into this contest.
Chiefs Offense As Potent As Ever
Some things never change. Death, taxes, and Mahomes-led offenses being unstoppable. Mahomes is coming off an MVP season a year ago, playing in 14 games this season. His numbers dipped drastically and yet were still very good. He threw for over 4,000 yards with 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
His No. 1 receiver this season ended up being his tight end, Travis Kelce, who caught 97 balls for 1,229 yards and five touchdowns. In an injury-shortened season, Tyreek Hill made 58 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns. This offense could have an absolute field day against the Texans’ 28th-ranked defense, as Houston gave up 388 yards per game.
Betting Lines
The spread for this one is tied for the biggest spread of the weekend with the Ravens-Titans game. The over/under is set at 51, which is easily the highest over/under of this weekend.
The Texans are 8-8-1 against the spread this season. When it came to going on the road, they were 4-2-1 away from NRG Stadium. The only other time this season they were this big of an underdog was Week 17 against the Titans in a game they lost 35-14.
The Texans played seven games this season where the over/under was over 50. They only hit the over in three of those seven games.
The Chiefs are 10-5-1 against the spread this season. At Arrowhead Stadium this season, the Chiefs are 4-3-1 and 8-4-1 overall when being listed as the favorite. However, they are only 25-27-2 under Andy Reid when being listed as the favorite at home.
The Chiefs played in six games this season that featured an over/under of over 50. The over hit in three of those six games.
Take the Chiefs -9.5 and bet on the over for this game.
