You have 2 of the hottest teams playing in this matchup. The Kansas Chiefs have won 10 straight games, while the Houston Texans have won 8 out of their last 10 encounters.
NFL Betting Odds
| Kansas City Chiefs | -3.5 | ML -175 | O40 |
| Houston Texans | +3.5 | ML +155 | U40 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Houston Texans | |||
 |
Avg. Yds. (Rank) | Category | Avg. Yds. (Rank) |  |
| 203.4 (29th) | Pass Off. | 239.6 (18th) | ||
| 127.8 (6th) | Rush Off. | 108.2 (15th) | ||
| 11-5 | 231.1 (9th) | Pass Def. | 210.4 (3rd) | 9-7 |
| 2nd AFC WEST (5-1) |
98.2 (7th) | Rush Def. | 99.8 (9th) | 1st AFC SOUTH (5-1) |
The Chief passer Alex Smith’s primary goal is to “manage” each game and he has done just that in the last 10 games, but in his last 6 e has picked up the pace by throwing 10 touchdowns with just 4 picks during this period of time. Smith finished fourth among all QBs with a career-best 498 rushing yards. With a couple of formidable weapons in WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Travis 
Kelce, he should duplicate his first week’s performance at Houston throwing for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, the Houston Texans defense has been playing lights out in the last only surrendering an average of 7 point a game. To say the Texan defense is playing better than the first week would be a severe understatement. Kansas City’s ground game is a run by committee spearheaded by Charcandrick West with started only 9 games and accumulated 634 yards on 160 attempts for an average of 4 yards a run.
As for Houston, they had trouble keeping their quarterbacks healthy all season but thy managed a 9 and 7 record. In general, Houston’s current helmsman Brian Hoyer showed the ability to effectively lead the offense when healthy this season, and last Sunday’s return bodes well for his the franchise’s upcoming return to the playoffs. When Hoyer faced this Kansas City defense in week 1, he performed fairly well accounting for 236 yards along with 1 touchdown but 1 interception and a fumble. Houston’s star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had a stellar year and set career-highs of 111 catches, 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hopkins will now set his sights on his first career appearance in the postseason tonight. No matter who was under center, his performance was always above board. Just like Kansas City, Houston’s ground game is a run by committee.
The Bottom Line: Obviously, this game can go either way. The major impact players on Houston are J.J. Watt on defense and DeAndre Hopkins on offense.
Selection: Houston +$155
Odds courtesy of Bodog
