Chiefs-Texans 5 questions with the enemy: Who are the real Texans?

On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs is facing Houston Texas. We welcome you Scott Barzilla of Battle Red Blog – our sister SB Nation site covering the Texans – for Five questions with the enemy.

1) The Texans struggled as the season ended – and looked to be in serious trouble early against the Chargers. Which version of the team is the right one?

I think both versions are the real Texans. The team has been consistently good on defense this year and many people are underselling them. I have an article on the Battle Red Blog about what they’ve done for opposing quarterbacks this season that might surprise you. On offense, it has been difficult with a porous offensive line (and injuries to key receivers) to get anything going consistently. So I imagine they will have moments of brilliance and moments that will leave you scratching your head. It will be up to the defense to carry them.

2) The Chiefs had no answer for Tank Dell before his unfortunate injury. If Kansas City once again focuses heavily on Nico Collins, who will Houston use to attack the defense?

They haven’t found one yet. They picked up Diontae Johnson on the waiver wire in hopes of injecting something into the offense, but he’s been pretty quiet so far. Both Cade Stover and Dalton Schultz played Saturday, so maybe they run some two tight end sets. In terms of receivers, John Metchie has been the most consistent receiver outside of Collins and Dell, but he can’t really stretch the field. However, he is good for a handful of catches that can move the chains.

Editor’s note: On Tuesday, the Texans waived Diontae Johnson and placed Cade Stover on their reserve/injured list. The Balitmore Ravens claimed Johnson on waivers — but under postseason rules, he can’t join that team until after Super Bowl.

3) With only a handful of players still on the roster five years later, is there any revenge narrative from the Chiefs’ 51-31 playoff victory in 2019?

I think most Texans (and most Houston fans) would just as quickly forget the Bill O’Brien experience, thank you very much. In all seriousness, I don’t see it as a factor. The Texans know that to get out of the AFC, they have to go through the Chiefs. So this game is a benchmark – but I think it would be for any team that plays the Chiefs in this round. I think that was also true five or six years ago, so nothing has really changed.

4) Do you see the expected frigid elements affecting what the Texans will do on offense?

Frigidity is not as much of a concern as wind and precipitation. Quarterback CJ Stroud has been playing in the cold since he was at Ohio Stateso I’m not too worried about him. He seems to struggle more in the rain and wind so if there is any of that it could be a problem. Fortunately, Houston has a healthy Joe Mixon to provide a running attack, so hopefully that’s enough to take some pressure off him.

Editor’s note: IN last week’s damage reportMixon was listed as questionable to the game after being limited for Wednesday’s training and held out of Thursday’s session.

5) The Chiefs are currently an 8.5 point home favorite. Do you think that line is fair? How do you see this playing out?

I think the Texans will keep this closer than that. I have a hard time seeing them winning the game, but something like 24-20 seems like a good score to land on. Both teams played a majority of their games within one score. I think that’s where they’re both most comfortable. I see the Chiefs winning – and they may win more convincingly than the score indicates – but it could be a little bit of gamesmanship from Andy Reid. He can hold something back in preparation for the winner of Buffalo Bills/Baltimore Ravens game.

Be sure to check out the answers I gave to their questions by clicking here.