The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to beat the Houston Texans for the third time in 13 months. Will Andy Reid’s team get the job done?
There are two playoff rematches from a year ago on the NFL slate for Week 2.
One is the traditional divisional battle between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Who could ever forget linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s knockdown (of Antonio Brown) and meltdown late in the game that helped cost Marvin Lewis’ team the game?
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are playing host to the Kansas City Chiefs once again – something Bill O’Brien’s club did to open and close their season in 2015 and with no success. The Chiefs managed a 27-20 win in Week 1 and then returned to the Lone Star State four months later and administered a 30-0 beat down in the wild card playoffs.
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While veteran Alex Smith gets another crack at the Texans, remember that we did see Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler against the Chiefs defense last season (albeit in a relief role for veteran Peyton Manning).
Odds
Line: HOU (-2.5)
Over/Under: 43.5
In Week 10 at Denver in what proved to be a 29-13 loss by the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Texans’ current quarterback hit on 14 of his 24 throws for 146 yards and one touchdown. He was picked off once and sacked three times and of course, inherited the starting job for the remainder of the regular season.
Last week in their respective wins, both the Chiefs and Texans held their opponents without a touchdown in the second half. In fact, Houston blanked the Bears for the final 30 minutes of the game after spotting them a 14-10 lead at intermission.
More fansided.com: NFL Power Rankings: Week 1
The winner of this contest may have to come up big in the final 30 minutes (or more) once again. And that will be the case as O’Brien and his club exact a little revenge.
Pick: Houston 23, Kansas City 21