What to Watch in the Texans-Chiefs A.F.C. Divisional Game

The Houston Texans are in Kansas City to face the Chiefs in a divisional round game that will have its winner host the red-hot Tennessee Titans in the A.F.C. championship game. Some occasional snow flurries could materialize at Arrowhead Stadium, but conditions are expected to be mostly clear with temperatures in the mid-30s, which should open things up for both offenses in a game in which the Chiefs are heavily favored.

How to watch: The game will kick off at 3:05 p.m. Eastern. It will be broadcast on CBS and streamed live on FuboTV.

Here are some things to consider going into the game:

Two Quarterbacks, Forever Linked

In 2016, Deshaun Watson, then the quarterback of the Clemson Tigers, led his team to a national championship. Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, put up video game numbers for Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech. When the draft came around, the Chiefs, who had the No. 10 pick, took a close look at both quarterbacks and decided on Mahomes. Two picks later, the Texans traded up and chose Watson. Needless to say, both teams have been happy with their decisions ever since.

Mahomes won the N.F.L.’s Most Valuable Player Award last season, and had a strong second half this year after an injury and some inconsistency ruined the middle of his year. Watson has not reached the same heights, but that is mostly a function of inferior teammates, as he demonstrated in the wild-card round that he is capable of extraordinary things. In their lone matchup as starters, which came this season in Week 6, Watson finished on top, with 280 passing yards, 42 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in Houston’s 31-24 victory.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/sports/football/texans-vs-chiefs.html?emc=rss&partner=rss