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Kansas City Chiefs Begin Defense of NFL Championship
The Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs will open the 2020 NFL season when they meet at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday. The Sunday Night Football matchup will be a site for sore eyes for sports starved fans because of the COVID-19 overreaction by authorities.
TIME: 8:20 p.m. ET. TV: NBC; BETTING LINE: Chiefs -9.5 / TOTAL 53
The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl Super Bowl LIV 31-20 against the San Francisco 49ers. They are healthy and look to start the 2020 season strong.
Houston got knocked out the AFC playoffs last season by the Chiefs. They lost 51-31 in Kansas City. This Texans team is a lot different than the one that played in the playoffs this past January.
Chiefs are Loaded Again
Their will be no ring ceremony tonight as the Chief’s had one a few weeks ago so fans could enjoy in the celebration with them. The coronavirus restrictions of fans has this season going to be a weird one for everyone involved. TV Ratings should see a good increase since hardly anyone can see the games in person.
Kansas City returns 17 of 22 starters from the squad that rallied to win all three of its postseason games by double digits. They can’t expect that streak to continue throughout the season. It is always a good thing though, when you know you can come back from any deficit.
Patrick Mahomes was the Super Bowl MVP and he was rewarded with a 10-year contract worth a record $503 million. The Kansas City Chiefs still retained other key players in separate negotiations the way the contract was structured. One big name was defensive tackle Chris Jones.
The Chiefs enter the season as a favorite to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Getting complacent is no concern with head coach Andy Reid. He has his own new contract to cap an offseason in which a few new toys were added to the team.
One newcomer to definitely watch will be rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He was a first-round draft pick who is expected to start after Damien Williams opted out of the season for coronavirus reasons. Edwards-Helaire showed his versatility in college. He helped LSU capture a national championship last season. He poses a threat as a receiver out of the backfield as well as a talented runner.
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Can Texans Rebound from Blowing 24-Point Lead to Chiefs
The Texans jumped out to a 24-point lead over the Chiefs in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs. Yet they tumbled to a 51-31 loss and a bitter offseason where the blew up the offense except at QB.
Deshaun Watson is a product of the 2017 draft like Mahomes, and he signed a four-year, $160 million extension last week. It is well deserved after leading Houston to two straight AFC South titles. This is the stability the Texans have needed at QB since Matt Schaub left town.
Houston coach Bill O’Brien said the extension is “a reflection to the team of what we’re trying to do here, the commitment he has to winning here and being who he is both on and off the field and the commitment that we have to him relative to our belief in him.”
Watson will have to transition without one of his favorite wide receivers. DeAndre Hopkins was shipped off during the offseason to Arizona for running back David Johnson. People are still scratching their heads on that one. The Texans should be able to spread things out after adding veteran receivers Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks. They are expected to step in alongside deep threat Will Fuller.
Defensively, the Texans are led by a healthy J.J. Watt. He will try to regain his 2018 form when he recorded 16 sacks.
This, That, and a Dart Throw
Houston must overcome returning to the scene of one of the most improbable playoff plot-lines in NFL history. Houston jumped ahead of the Chiefs in January by a score of 24-0. They then went on to experience an historic collapse. The implosion helped propel Kansas City to the Lombardi Trophy.
Texans rookie wide receiver Isaiah Coulter will begin the season on injured reserve.
The Chiefs enter the game healthy.
Kansas City Chiefs Cornerback Bashaud Breeland is suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opted out of the season due to health concerns related to COVID-19.
The Dart Throw: Kansas City 34, Houston 14
Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs Trends
Kansas City Chiefs Trends
- Trend Over is 4-1 in Chiefs last 5 games as a home underdog of 3.5-10.0. Hit % 80.00% (5) O/U 4|1 Push 0 W/L
- Over is 5-0 in Chiefs last 5 games as a home underdog. 100.00% (5) 5|0 0
- Under is 7-2-1 in Chiefs last 10 games as an underdog of 10.5 or greater. 77.80% (10) 2|7 1
- Under is 7-0 in Chiefs last 7 games as a home favorite of 10.5 or greater. 100.00% (7) 0|7 0
Houston Texans Trends
- Trend Over is 8-3 in Texans last 11 games as a road favorite. Hit % 72.70% (11) O/U 8|3 Push 0 W/L
- Over is 4-1 in Texans last 5 games as an underdog of 10.5 or greater. 80.00% (5) 2|7 1
- Over is 4-1 in Texans last 5 games as a road underdog of 10.5 or greater. 80.00% (5) 4|1 0
- Over is 5-1 in Texans last 6 games as a road favorite of 0.5-3.0. 83.30% (6) 5|1 0
Head to Head Meetings Trends
- Trend Road team is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 meetings. Hit % 75.00% (12) O/U Push 0 W/L 3|9
Stats provided by Scores&Stats
Next up:
Houston home to Baltimore Sunday, September 20
Kansas City at Los Angeles Sunday, September 20
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