Chiefs bold predictions for Week 14 Sunday Night Football clash with Texans

The Kansas City Chiefs are miserably slogging through an uneven playoff run, and they seem to have a bottom-line problem. But they still have a shot, and here are bold predictions for their Week 14 Sunday Night Football clash against the Texans.

Both teams hold playoff hopes, but they are somewhat tenuous, especially for the Chiefs. They are 6-6 and pretty much need to win out to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.

Meanwhile, the Texans are 7-5 and on a roll. They have a better shot of reaching the postseason because of their division. The crumbling Colts (8-4) and Jaguars (8-4) are tied for first place in the AFC South.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will throw for less than 250 yards

Folks, this is a tough defense. For the season, the Texans are allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to the quarterback position. If the Chiefs are going to win, they will have to do it with defense and by finishing drives.

Mahomes isn’t going to be able to sit in the pocket. He will have to get the ball out quickly and sustain drives with third-down conversions. And the Chiefs will have to run the football. That will further limit Mahomes’ passing yardage.

Certainly, Mahomes knows the gravity of the situation, according to a post on X by Charles Goldman.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: “You’ve got to win every game now and hope that’s enough.”

But the Texans are first in total defense with 265.7 yards allowed per game. So it’s easy to see why Mahomes will have trouble cracking the 250-yard passing mark. Plus, the Texans are fourth in the NFL in passing defense at 174 yards per game.

Plus, Mahomes is enduring a tough season. Look at these numbers, according to CBS Sports.

“Mahomes is completing a career-low 59% of his passes and averaging a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt,” Jared Dubin wrote. “He’s thrown for just three touchdowns in three games.”

However, Mahomes seems to be giving all he can give.

“He’s done an incredible job creating outside the structure of the offense on [scramble] opportunities,” Durbin wrote. “And it’s basically been the saving grace of an offense that has been inefficient when running with its backs and when throwing to its pass catchers. He’s basically moving the chains by himself at times.

“Chiefs pass catchers have created an average of just 3.3 yards of separation on their targets, per NFL Pro, which is the seventh-lowest mark in the NFL. That’s despite the fact that Mahomes has thrown into tight windows (less than 1 yard of separation) on only 11.4% of his throws. What that means is that even when Chiefs receivers are getting open enough to merit being targeted, they’re not getting that open.”

Yep. Mahomes seems likely to struggle against the Texans’ impressive defense.

Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy will catch a 40-plus-yard pass

The Texans are going to cast their defensive eyes on Rashee Rice. And they should. But look for Andy Reid to draw up a play for a gadget deep shot to Worthy. And look for Mahomes to take a deep look on another occasion. One of those will hit for a big gain.

Certainly, this has been a disappointing season for Worthy, according to Sports Illustrated.

“Worthy entered his sophomore season with expectations that he’d establish a bigger role for himself in their offense,” Fernando Alfaro-Donis wrote. “But that came to a screeching halt a couple of plays into the season. Rashee Rice was out with his suspension, and that period of time was crucial for developing his chemistry with Patrick Mahomes.

“Since coming back from his injury, [Worthy’s] greatest game came against the Baltimore Ravens, who were in a historic funk defensively. He’s yet to receive double-digit targets this season, and his highest total receptions in a game is barely six.”

Picking a 40-yard-plus play is a gamble. Worthy has posted over 40 yards total for any game only five times this season. But again, the desperate nature of the Chiefs’ approach and the need to get the ball down the field weigh in his favor.

No Chiefs RB will top 60 yards rushing

The Chiefs have no choice by to try to run the football. They will have to find a way to move the ball without dropping back 60 times.

But the Chiefs have only had one game this year with a running back over 60 yards. That came two weeks ago against the Colts when Kareem Hunt rushed for 104 yards. All other games? It hasn’t happened.

So why is this a bold prediction? Because the Chiefs need something special from Kareem Hunt to have a shot in this one. They have to make him a threat against the Texans’ defense. And they will try. But whatever the outcome on the scoreboard, don’t expect the Chiefs to get happy on the ground.

So, who will win? This is going to be a tight, low-scoring contest. The Chiefs will find a way to make their desperation work. Predicted score: Chiefs 17, Texans 14.

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