Texans vs. Chiefs: 3 Bold Predictions for Divisional Round
1. The first quarter will be good to Houston
It is a well-known fact the Houston Texans aren’t a very good team when it comes to the first-quarter scoring, and look no further than last Saturday in the AFC Wild Card Round when the Texans trailed the Buffalo Bills, 7-0 after the first quarter and 13-0 at halftime.
Even when the Texans played at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 6, they trailed by a 17-3 score when the first quarter came to a close, but came back with a 20-point second frame to lead 20-17, eventually winning 31-24.
It is this simple, if the Texans trail by a 17-3 score this time around at the conclusion of the first quarter, well, there most likely won’t be a comeback with the season on the line. The Texans must have a positive effort in the first quarter and the first half, as they can’t afford to wait until halftime to make adjustments.
The way the Texans make this happen is by running the football right out of the gate and set the tone with their running game. That has to happen, and then from there attack with throwing the football when Kansas City has to focus on the run.
If the Texans can score points in the first quarter that will be a plus for them, but the Texans were one of the very worst at that this season with them ranking 30th out of 32 teams at 2.8 points in the opening quarter, compared to the Chiefs in seventh place at 5.6, according to TeamRankings.com.
How the Texans can pull off a Divisional Round upset. dark. Next
All in all, it is simple for the Texans. Points need to be scored in the first quarter, and the defense of the Texans must slow down the Chiefs and not let them get off to a strong start. If that happens, a second AFC Divisional Round upset could occur.