No one has said the Kansas City Chiefs get a bye week in the Divisional Round, but they’re still the heavy favorites over the Houston Texans.
The No. 1 seed is looking for their third consecutive Super Bowl win and should be well rested. Not only did they have a week off for the Wild Card Round, but starters like Patrick Mahomes didn’t play in Week 18 either.
That could prove to be an advantage for the Texans when the two meet on Saturday.
While rest is always a good thing considering the length of the season, too much could lead to rust. That’s a concern for teams with one week off in the playoffs and even more so with two — which will be the case for many playmakers in K.C.
Jeremy Fowler touched on the rest vs. rust debate in a recent piece on ESPN, saying the No. 1 seed has an advantage but not a decisive one. He states the top seed is 11-7 since 2020 and that many teams worry the rust is more of a detriment than the rest helps.
”Though the Chiefs are accustomed to the process, recent 1-seeds admit that guarding against coming out flat because of too much rest is a real concern.” — Fowler, ESPN
Fowler did share a new schedule Kansas City used in hopes of avoiding the rust, but it’s hard to simulate real game action.
Texans are full of confidence
While the Chiefs are rested, the Texans are coming into this game with plenty of confidence.
They had an impressive win over the Los Angeles Chargers, 32-12. Their offense found life late in the second quarter but the defense was lights out all day.
If that remains the case for the defense this weekend, and the offense has a quicker start, Houston would have a shot at a massive upset.