NFL Divisional Round: Where and how to watch Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs, live stream, and broadcast details
The AFC Divisional Round game between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs is set to take place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday, January 18th, at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT).
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Patrick Mahomes and CJ Stroud (Image via FirstSportz)
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed their bye week courtesy of snatching the AFC top seed with a 15-2 finish in the 2024 NFL regular season. They are set to face the AFC South winners, the Houston Texans, who defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 last Saturday.
Quarterback CJ Stroud wrote his name among the few who won a playoff game in each of their first two NFL seasons. The 23-year-old threw 22 completions for 282 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, along with six carries for 42 yards.
Mahomes and Stroud faced each other in week 16. On that occasion, the 2x NFL MVP got the better of the Ohio State graduate. The game ended 27-19 with Mahomes completing 28 passes from 41 tries for 260 yards and one touchdown to go with 5 carries for 33 yards and one rushing touchdown. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught 7 passes for 65 yards and scored one touchdown while running back Kareem Hunt had 11 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Stroud logged 23 completions from 39 attempts for 244 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Running back Joe Mixon had 17 carries for 57 yards, and wide receiver Tank Dell caught 6 passes for 90 yards.
After the game, Mahomes told Stroud that they would meet again in the postseason. Andy Reid’s Chiefs are 8-2 against the Texans in their last 10 meetings. They also won the last 4 fixtures, and the last Texans victory came back in October 2019.
What time is the NFL game on Saturday?
- Game: Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Day: Saturday, January 18
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT)
- Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
The AFC Divisional Round game between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs is set to take place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday, January 18th, at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT).
What channel is Saturday football on?
- Game: Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Day: Saturday, January 18
- Where to Watch: ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+/ KMBC (Channel 9) in Kansas City and KAKE (Channel 10) in Wichita.
- Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge
- Radio: KFNZ (96.5 FM) and WDAF (106.5 FM) in the KC area, and KNSS (98.7 FM)
NFL live streaming for the Sunday game
Watch local and primetime regular-season games on your phone or tablet with a 7-day free trial on NFL+ and FUBO TV.
NFL Odds and betting lines for the AFC Divisional round Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs game
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, are the favorites to defeat the Houston Texans and advance to the AFC Championship game.
- Spread favorite: Chiefs (-8)
- Moneyline: Chiefs (-500), Texans (+375)
- Total: 41.5 points
Predicted line-up for Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Houston Texans:
Offense: CJ Stroud (quarterback), Nico Collins, Dare Ogunbowale, Joe Mixon, Dameon Pierce, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz, John Metchie III, Cade Stover
Defense: Henry To’oTo’o, Folorunso Fatukasi, Del’Shawn Phillips, Azeez Al-Shaair, Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr., Eric Murray, Derek Stingley Jr., Derek Barnett, Calen Bullock, Neville Hewitt
Kansas City Chiefs:
Offense: Patrick Mahomes, Kareem Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce, Samaje Perine, Noah Gray, Isiah Pacheco, JuJu Smith-Schuster
Defense: George Karlaftis, Derrick Nnadi, Chris Jones, Mike Danna, Drue Tranquill, Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal, Trent McDuffie, Justin Reid, Nazeeh Johnson, Wanya Morris, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor, and Chamarri Conner
Why the Houston Texans can win?
The Texans will be without Tank Dell for the playoffs but Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz, and John Metchie III can more than make up ground for the injured second-year receiver. Head coach DeMeco Ryans needs to be smart and tie up any loose ends after waiving Diontae Johnson.
Stroud witnessed a dip in form in his second season yet still put up a respectable 336 completions for 3727 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 picks. Collins repaid his three-year contract extension worth $75 million at the start of the season with 68 receptions for 1006 yards and 7 touchdowns from 12 games, bagging his Pro Bowl call-up. Joe Mixon left the Bengals to see more game time and rushed for 1016 yards, adding 11 rushing touchdowns.
The Texans possess a prolific offense but it’s the defense where they shine the most. Ryans’ Texans have the sixth-best overall defense in the NFL, allowing only 42 touchdowns all year (including the wildcard). However, they struggle when the ball is thrown deep into the red zone. They are 27th in the league, allowing 63*6% of red zone passes to turn into a touchdown. The Texans combined picked up 49 sacks (fifth most) in the regular season.
Why the Kansas City Chiefs can win?
The majority of the Chiefs first-team players are fresh with an extended two-week break. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt, and Chris Jones did not feature in the final-day loss against the Denver Broncos because they already secured the top seed and a bye week.
The 15-2 record is slightly misleading because Mahomes arguably went through one of the worst patches of his league career at the start of the 2024 season. He managed to turn his form around just in time for the playoffs, finishing with 392 completions for 3928 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Despite statistically one of his worst years, Travis Kelce still topped the charts with the most receiving yards 823 (in the team) from 97 receptions and three touchdowns. Kareem Hunt served the team well in his second stint, racking up 200 rushes for 728 yards and 7 touchdowns.
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Ishan Misra
(3039 Articles Published)