In the NFL’s Week 14, the (6-6) Kansas City Chiefs will host the (7-5) Houston Texans on “Sunday Night Football,” with kickoff scheduled for 7:20 PM Arrowhead Time.
The Chiefs desperately need a victory
to remain in playoff contention. The Texans — starting with quarterback C.J. Stroud — are not going to make it easy for them.
“[He’s a] pocket passer — standing in the pocket tall,” noted defensive tackle Chris Jones on Thursday. “[He] will take a hit [and] can deliver every throw. So it’s a challenge for us — but we’re looking forward to it.”
Stroud can also adjust to meet the situation.
“He [does] a good job trying to get the ball out to his pass catchers out in the space who run the ball very well,” explained linebacker Nick Bolton. “He’s doing a good job of knowing [when] he can throw the ball — [with] quick rhythm passes, three-stepping, getting the ball to his receivers quickly and giving them a chance to run. So he’s doing a good job of managing the game.”
After struggling against larger receivers like George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb in the team’s 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will also have to deal with Houston’s big wideouts: Jayden Higgins and Nico Collins, who each stand 6 feet 4. But the coordinator still feels that his cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie will be up to the challenge.
“I mean, Jaylen’s got some size to him,” Spagnuolo said of the 6-foot-2 Watson. “And Trent’s a good football player; he‘s played big guys before.”
Spagnuolo thinks his top corners will just have to prevent the Texans’ receivers from getting a clean release off the line of scrimmage — and this time, avoid the penalties that plagued them against Dallas.
“When these guys get downfield,” he said of Higgins and Collins, “their catch radius is such that they can catch it anywhere and everywhere — and both of the quarterbacks that have been on tape [including Davis Mills, who played during Stroud’s recent absence], have a lot of confidence in these guys just to throw the ball up.
“It’s a pretty good challenge. It doesn’t get any easier — that’s for sure.”
Houston will also bring a strong special teams unit to Kansas City, led by 38-year-old Frank Ross.
“[That unit] is very good,” said special teams coordinator Dave Toub. “I mean, we played these guys a bunch, you know. It just seems like Buffalo — it seems like we play them that much. But Frankie Ross — the special teams coach — has been there for five years. [He] does a great job.”
Ross benefits from having rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel returning kicks — and also has longtime Houston placekicker Ka’imi Fairbairn (and a former Kansas City punter) under his wing.
“Those guys fly around and are very highly motivated to make plays,” observed Toub. “He’s an energy-giver out there himself. They’ve got that young kid Noel — he’s really good. [And] Tommy Townsend? We know what he’s about. Then Fairbairn is having a good year. So they’re solid across the board.”
But it is the Texans’ defense that has been attracting the most attention. The Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called their edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson “super relentless.”
“They don’t have to bring much pressure,” explained Nagy. “They can get a lot of pressure one-on-one. They’re really, really good on the edge — and they’re really, really good on their whole defense.”
That’s not good news for the Chiefs. Left tackle Josh Simmons has been placed on the Reserve/Injured list after surgery on his wrist — and right tackle Jawaan Taylor has been declared doubtful for the game with triceps and knee injuries. Right guard Trey Smith is also doubtful with ankle issues.
“[It’s] probably not going to be a real pretty game,” acknowledged Nagy, “and that’s okay. This [Houston] team doesn’t allow many points, so when you go into it, the goal is to score as many as you can — but what’s real [is], ‘How are you going to do it?’
“I think the offensive messaging from us is, ‘Do what you’re supposed to do — and coach how we’re supposed to coach.’ We have a lot of trust in our guys — and a lot of confidence — but we have a lot of respect [for the Texans] because they’re a good football team and they’re very well coached.”
While this season hasn’t been what many Chiefs fans expected, there’s one thing you can say about the guys in Kansas City’s locker room: there isn’t any quit in them. The players — and the coaching staff — know what they have to do. They are going to fight their way off the ropes — or go down swinging.
