On Saturday, the Houston Texans intercepted Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert four times, leading to a decisive 32-12 victory. If the Texans hope for a second consecutive upset, they must devise a different strategy against Patrick Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs are back at practice, preparing for their Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans on Saturday. The AFC South team lost to Kansas City last month, but they dominated the Los Angeles Chargers this past Saturday. Their defense was impressive, forcing Justin Herbert to throw four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
As Houston gets ready to face the Chiefs again, they better have a solid defensive strategy because Patrick Mahomes isn’t going to turn over the football four times like that. During the Chiefs’ most challenging stretch of the schedule in December, he played his best football of the season.
The Chiefs might have discovered the winning formula with Joe Thuney at left tackle. That added security blanket for Mahomes has made the Chiefs’ offense unstoppable in December.
With the new year upon us, the Chiefs hope to maintain their offensive rhythm this Saturday in Kansas City. After resting their starters, the Chiefs have had a lengthy layoff, and for those who believe this will pose a problem for Kansas City, trust me, there will be no rust this weekend.
Since this team won Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, the talk has been about the opportunity to become the first three-peat Super Bowl Champion in NFL History. That’s their superpower. If anyone thinks that’s a detriment, they haven’t been paying attention.
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Mahomes enters the postseason with an opportunity to compete in his seventh consecutive AFC Championship game. He has a record of 4-2 in those games, along with three Super Bowl victories.
The Texans are a good team, but they don’t have the offensive juice to match the Chiefs offense. On the flip side, they have two of the game’s best pass rushers, Will Anderson, Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
Neither team succeeded in sacking Mahomes in their December game, mainly because of Thuney and right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s performance. In the rematch, the Chiefs will likely need to devise a nuanced strategy to ensure that neither Texans pass rusher alters the game’s narrative.
Offensively, C.J. Stroud used his legs against the Chargers, and that, more than his passing abilities, gave him confidence as he repeatedly escaped pressure. This wore down Los Angeles, and he took advantage of their pass rushers, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, who had two sacks in the game.
It was an essential adjustment for Stroud. When he faced difficulties during the final stretch of the regular season, he took too many sacks and didn’t utilize his athletic ability to evade pressure. If he resolves this issue in his game, the Chiefs defense must alter their approach to attacking him.
One defensive strategy involves splitting the tackle and guard during pass-rushing situations. George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Charles Omenihu, and Chris Jones are skilled at looping around tackles. However, splitting the offensive linemen can collapse the pocket quicker, leaving Stroud no way to escape.
Ultimately, this game depends on Mahomes and the offense. They were unstoppable against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day! They’ve already defeated the Texans, showcasing an offense bolstered by the return of wide receiver Hollywood Brown. His addition has revitalized the Chiefs’ offense, including Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, and Brown.
If the Chiefs need to implement a strong ball-controlled offensive strategy, they have the running back duo of Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco.
This season, it’s clear that Mahomes has the most talented pass catchers available at any point of his brilliant career.
If he uses them as he did toward the end of the season, the Chiefs will be making their seventh consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship game.
