Questions with the Opponent–Kansas City Chiefs
By Josh McSwain
Before Sunday’s game, I have some questions with the opponent that I ask Benjamin Almquist of KC Kingdom. For my answers to Benjamin’s questions, click below:
Related Story: Texans Answer Chiefs Questions With The Opponent
1. How did the Chiefs get it going offensively at the end of the game last week and how do they plan to attack a stingy Texans defense?
It was the one thing people least expected…Alex Smith. I don’t know what happened, but it was like a switch flipped. All of a sudden he was hitting tight windows and taking chances. Those are not your normal Alex Smith traits. He threw a beautiful back shoulder pass to Jeremy Maclin for a touchdown to tie the game up and send it to Overtime. Then, on 3rd and goal from the 2 yard line, Smith called his own number and ran it in to win the game. After that, Alex Smith exploded with more emotion than I have ever seen from him. He looked like an entirely different quarterback last week.
2. Can the Chiefs get a formidable pass rush without Justin Houston in the lineup?
Can they? Absolutely. The front three of Dontari Poe, Allen Bailey, and Jaye Howard can create havoc. Rookie Chris Jones has shown potential there as well. On the outside, Tamba Hali should have kicked the rust off, and Dee Ford was able to grab a sack on Philip Rivers. However, if you’re asking “will they”? That I just don’t know. Sometimes the Chiefs really confuse me with their defensive performances. They started slow in 2015 and came on strong at the end of the year (oddly enough, that was without Houston). Chiefs fans are hoping it’s the same case this year.
3. Will the familiarity with Brock Osweiler be an advantage for the Chiefs defense as they go into this game or could it backfire due to Osweiler knowing them?
It should be an advantage for the secondary. Marcus Peters, Eric Berry, and Ron Parker have all seen Osweiler before and should be familiar with his tendencies. Truth be told, I was never much of a believer in Osweiler last year, so I’m not losing much sleep over him. He is capable of having good games, and he certainly has some solid weapons to work with, but I think the Chiefs secondary should be able to deal with him.
4. This will be the third time in the last 19 Texans games (that counted for something) that the Chiefs have visited them. What has been the key to success against the Texans and how will they replicate it?
I think a lot of it has to do with the familiarity the Chiefs have with Romeo Crennel. Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Dontari Poe, Eric Berry, and several others spent a lot of time in Crennel’s defense and know it inside and out. They can pass that knowledge on to the offense to help them better understand what they will be seeing. Every team does its homework on their opponents, but the Chiefs are intimately familiar with what Romeo Crennel likes to do on defense. I don’t think it’s a coincidence the Chiefs offense has been able to score on Houston.
5. What is your prediction for the game?
I am predicting a bit of a high scoring affair. The Texans had no answer for Travis Kelce in 2015 (par for the course with Romeo Crennel against TEs), and I think that happens again. On the other side, DeAndre Hopkins is going to get his. Both teams come into this with solid reputations regarding their defenses, but I expect the offenses to be the units that shine. Chiefs 34 – Texans 30