With their season on the brink at 6-6, the Chiefs will face the surging Texans on Sunday night.
Houston’s defense has been excellent in the club’s last two games, holding Buffalo to just 19 points in Week 12 and Indianapolis to 16 points in Week 13. The Texans enter Week 14 No. 1 in points allowed and yards allowed, also having sacked Buffalo’s Josh Allen eight times in the Thursday night victory.
Houston’s vaunted pass rush could be a significant issue for Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as the Chiefs could be without their two starting tackles plus a starting guard. Left tackle Josh Simmons was placed on IR after undergoing surgery to repair his dislocated wrist, right tackle Jawaan Taylor is dealing with triceps and knee issues, and right guard Trey Smith has an ankle injury.
Head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that if Taylor cannot play, Jaylon Moore would slot in at right tackle, while Wanya Morris would play on the left.
How much confidence does Mahomes have in the backup linemen?
“The guys have played,” Mahomes said in his Wednesday press conference, via transcript from the team. “Obviously, we’ll go through the week and see where we’re at the with guys that are a little banged up, but you have got to give respect to where it’s deserved, and those guys have a great defensive line.
“We’ll try to do the best we can, as getting the ball out of my hand, running the football, and then whenever there’s shots down the field, you have to be able to hit them. Standing in the pocket and making those throws against a really good defense.”
Mahomes added that Kansas City’s offense has to match Houston’s defensive intensity.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, D-line’s good, linebackers [are] good, and the DBs [are] good. I think what makes them who they are is how hard they play. Every single snap, they’re flying around. They’re trying to make plays happen, they’re trying to intercept the football, or trying to knock the football out, they’re trying to make big hits.
“We got to match that intensity as an offense, as a team in order to go out there and get a win.”
With 348 rushing yards in 12 games, Mahomes is trending toward setting a new career-high in the category. He’s expecting to use his legs and everything else available to him to try and get Kansas City’s seventh win of the season.
“This is a really good football team that’s playing really good football right now and has a really good defense,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to have to throw it all out there and find a way to win. This will be a big game for us to showcase who we are and who we think we can be moving on the rest of the season.”