The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the most accomplished teams in the NFL and have a ton of playoff experience to draw on heading into their Divisional Round playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday, January 18 .
Although the Chiefs have proven they can win playoff games and Super Bowl titles in recent seasons, their past success is little guarantee that Kansas City will be able to take care of business against the Texans this weekend.
This week, Pro Football Network experts explained why the Chiefs might have trouble defeating Houston in the playoffs.
Check out what PFN had to say below:
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series on whether the Chiefs will beat the Texans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The first part focused on how Kansas City can beat Houston.
Reason #1
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – DECEMBER 21: CJ Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talk after Kansas City’s 27-19 victory at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
“The Chiefs didn’t win a first quarter in any of their losses and were outscored by an average of 3.5 points per first half. The Texans are +3.9 points per first half when CJ Stroud starts.
Reason #2
January 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, United States; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Houston Texans defensive end Denico Autry (96) during the third quarter in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“The Texans posted a season-best 50% unblitzed pressure rate against the Chargers in the wild-card round, continuing a trend in the right direction:
- Weeks 1-14: 30.8% non-blitz pressure rate (NFL rank: 18th)
- Weeks 15-WC: 37.2% non-blitz pressure rate (NFL rank: 8th) »
Reason #3
December 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, United States; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) runs against Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
“The Texans have seen six of their third top 7 games come either on the road or against a playoff team, which is the case at this location and both were the case in Week 16 when these teams met at Arrowhead (Houston). converted a season-high 53.8% of their third downs this afternoon).
Reason #4
December 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, United States; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is hit by Houston Texans defensive tackle Tommy Togiai (72) while throwing during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
“The Chiefs finished 4.31 wins above their stats (10.69-6.31). The next highest is the Colts +2.71. The Texans also came in 2.41 wins above expectations.
More chef content
October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, California, United States; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis (52) during player introductions before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
