Betting on the Houston Texans (10-6)

As much credit Deshaun Watson is getting following the Texans’ 22-10 come-from-behind win over the Buffalo Bills at home last Saturday, it was JJ Watt and the Texans’ defense that gave the necessary momentum for Houston. Watt had a sack to go with two quarterback hits in his first game back in two months after dealing with a pectoral injury. If there were any qualms about the form of Watt, he crushed them all with a fantastic performance against the Bills. Apart from Watt, the Texans also got timely contributions from other pass rushers in Whitney Mercilus and Jacob Martin, who each had a sack.

Having a full slate of pass rushers led by Watt is crucial to the Texans’ game plan for the date with Kansas City. Containing Patrick Mahomes is definitely atop Houston’s list of priorities. When the Texans beat Kansas City on the road back in Week 6, 31-24, the Texans forced Mahomes to commit two turnovers, while Houston’s offense hummed, particularly on the ground, with running back Carlos Hyde rushing for 116 of the team’s 192 rushing yards to go with a touchdown, while Watson had two rushing scores.

The Texans are 5-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 road games.

Betting on the Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)

The Chiefs are headed to the playoffs on a full head of steam, as they have won all of their last six games, dating back to their Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City. In their most recent outing, the Chiefs defeated the Chargers the second time around at home in Week 17, 31-21.

The Chiefs are largely being carried by Mahomes and the offense, but their defense has stepped up this season, especially during their current win streak. The Chiefs even entered the Week 17 game with zero touchdowns allowed in the previous two games. On the season, the Chiefs are allowing just 19.2 points per game — seventh overall in the NFL. On the other side of the ball, look for the Chiefs to establish the run game early against Houston’s run defense that was hit hard by Buffalo. Despite the presence of Watt, the Bills managed to rush for 172 yards and average 5.7 yards per carry. The Chiefs only had 53 rushing yards in the loss to Houston earlier this season, but they barely tried to run the ball with just 11 carries in that game.

The Chiefs are 4-0 ATS in their last four games at home.

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