The Houston Texans went 10-6 last year and then beat Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs. In their next game, they faced Kansas City on the road and had a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. It was all downhill for them after that as the Texans were outscored 51-10 the rest of the way. The defense had been a strength of Houston over the last couple of years but that was not the case in the loss to the Chiefs and in fact the defense did struggle overall last year, allowing 24.1 ppg, which was 19th in the league and 388.3 ypg, which was 28th. Houston was 29th against the pass and they did very little to upgrade their secondary, which is not good as they will be facing Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 321 yards with five TDs and no INT’s in last year’s playoff game.
The offense took a major hit when they allowed WR DeAndre Hopkins to be traded to Arizona. In return, Houston got RB David Johnson, which was not a fair trade at all. In order to keep pace with the Chiefs in this one, Houston will feed their passing game to flourish. and losing Hopkins will not help. Houston did bring in Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks but neither are of the caliber that Hopkins was. The ground game will struggle as Johnson is clearly not the back he once was. Houston still has DeShaun Watson and he can make some plays happen but still, the offense will not be great with no running game and a thin WR corps.
The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year and they are the favorites to do so again this year. The main core of the team is still intact and the offense will again be among the best in the league. Patrick Mahomes won league MVP last year and he is primed to have another big season. He threw for 4031 yards with 26 TDs and just five INT a season ago. Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins are big hitters in the passing game while Travis Kelce may be the best TE in the league. He led the team with 1227 yards and five TDs a year ago. The ground game needed a boost and they got it by drafting RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round.
Get Thursday Night Parlay: Texans vs Chiefs
Over/Under Facts
- Last season, in games that featured the Chiefs, the point total was set at an average of 47.4, which is 7.1 points fewer than the total for this matchup.
- Games featuring the Texans averaged 47.7 total points last season, 6.8 fewer than the total for this matchup.
- Chiefs games went over 54.5 points on five occasions last season (31.2% of matchups).
- Texans games went over 54.5 points on three occasions last season (18.8%).
- Last year’s combined scoring average for these two teams (51.8 points per game) is 2.7 fewer than the total for this contest.
- These teams surrendered a combined 43.3 points per game a season ago, 11.2 fewer points than this contest’s total.
Chiefs Betting Insights
- Kansas City played in seven games last year that went over the point total (50% of its opportunities).
- Kansas City went 8-6 against the spread last year.
- The Chiefs had an ATS record of 3-1 when playing as at least 9-point favorites last season.
Texans Betting Insights
- Houston hit the over in just 42.9% of games last year.
- Houston’s record ATS last season was 6-7-1.
Chiefs vs Texans: Last 5 Meetings
- Kansas City is 3-2 straight up in the past five contests.
- The Texans have covered one time in those games.
- Kansas City has scored 122 total points while allowing 120 total points to Houston.
MORE TRENDS: Texans 9-3-2 vs. spread last 14 as reg.-season visitor and 8-3 last 11 as reg.-season dog. Chiefs closed 2019 with wins and covers in last nine, covering last six at Arrowhead (all as chalk) after dropping preceding 4 and 8 of 9 vs. number as host. KC also “over” 44-23 since 2016, and last three meetings “over” since 2017. Teams split two games at Arrowhead last season. Tech edge-“Over,” based on “totals” trends.
