It’s a “given” that BetOnline customers would be wondering what the Kansas City Chiefs can possibly do for an encore. There is room for more, of course, with a young MVP like Patrick Mahomes.
But you might want to put things into perspective. If not for the fact that the Houston Texans had a monumental collapse against them in the playoffs, the Chiefs would never have gotten to take their magic carpet ride. Undoubtedly Bill O’Brien and his team have some bitter memories of all that. Will they get some sense of satisfaction in the season opener?
We’ll see about that in the coming-out party for NFL 2020. It’s slated to begin at 8:20 PM ET on Thursday (September 10) at Arrowhead Stadium.
Scene of the nightmare – revisited
The Texans have to go back to the scene of the horror. In case, you need to be refreshed, they had gone ahead by a 24-0 score early in the second quarter. The Chiefs went on to tally 28 unanswered points to lead at halftime, and then just poured it on after that. The final was 51-31, with Mahomes registering a rather modest 321 yards through the air. Never before had a team won a playoff game by at least 20 points after trailing by at least 20.
A lot of people thought O’Brien would be fired after that debacle. After all, the Texans, who have never won a road playoff game, missed their best opportunity. But not only was O’Brien kept on, but he was also given the additional title of general manager. So he is in control of his own destiny.
Or so it seems.
Houston has a new look on offense
O’Brien felt that dealing away DeAndre Hopkins, one of the better receivers in recent years, was good for the team. That remains to be seen. The Texans’ passing attack, operating behind DeShaun Watson, who threw for 3852 yards last year, maybe more balanced. And it will have a lot of speed. Between Kenny Stills, Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks, they’ll have the ability to get down the field. And Randall Cobb is a valuable possession receiver.
The running back position will be the subject of a lot of focus. David Johnson came from Arizona in exchange for Hopkins. Duke Johnson, of more use as a third-down back, is also on hand. But Carlos Hyde looked like he might provide some answers and was let go.
Here are the numbers……
….which show that the Chiefs are laying nearly double digits:
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans Week 1 Odds
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | +9½ (-110) | 53½ (-109) | +346 |  |
| Chiefs | -9½ (-110) | 53½ (-111) | -443 | |
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Chiefs’ offense should keep on hummin’
The Kansas City running game operated by committee last season. Obviously it was good enough to win the Super Bowl. But then they selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round out of LSU. He could turn out to be a very pleasant surprise, as he has the strength to be a workhorse back. And he should blend in very well with the passing game. In fact, head coach Andy Reid says he reminds him of Brian Westbrook.
Mahomes threw just five interceptions in 484 attempts last year. And that is phenomenal for someone who is as much of a “gunslinger” as he is.
No one is necessarily going to slow down the receiving corps, with Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, along with Mecole Hardiman and Demarcus Robinson, not to mention tight end Travis Kelce, who’s had four straight seasons with 1000 or more receiving yards. Ricky Seals-Jones was acquired to give the team the ability to go to two-tight end sets.
Conclusion
With the Chiefs, it’s always going to be a question of being able to stop the opposition. That is going to be tied to their ability to get to the quarterback. The Texans’ offensive line comes off a season where it surrendered 48 sacks. O’Brien swears that he’ll get a better effort. Some of that involves fewer penalties on the part of tackle Laremy Tunsil. They paid a heavy price to get him from Miami. Will he prove worth it?
Not that there are any huge bargains to be had here. But for what it’s worth, we feel as if the Texans should be able to so some good things offensively, even if those are going to be through the air. Since we’re not all that confident in Houston’s ability to stop what KC is doing, So we’ll go OVER the total here.
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