2020 Season Preview, Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans
With a full-season prediction already in the books, it's time to take a closer look at the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2020 regular season opponents.
Week 1 (Sept. 10): Houston Texans, 7:20 p.m. CST - Thursday Night Football
In the Andy Reid era, the Chiefs are 5-2 against the Houston Texans, creating one of the AFC's most dynamic out-of-division rivalries. The Chiefs ended their playoff drought over Brian Hoyer and the Texans in the Wild Card round of the 2015 season, providing a positive playoff memory for the pre-Patrick Mahomes Chiefs.
After playing the Texans in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 regular seasons, the two teams didn't match up in Patrick Mahomes' MVP season, but faced off twice last year.
In the 2019 regular season, the Chiefs built a 17-3 lead in the first quarter, then the offense went on ice. A 20-point second quarter put the Texans up at the half, the Chiefs took a one-point lead in the third quarter, then the Texans scored again early in the fourth.
Thankfully for the Chiefs, they got a second crack at it in January.
In the divisional round, after a first-round bye, the Chiefs were down 24-0 in the second quarter, then led 28-24 by halftime. I'm still not completely sure what happened there.
After a 51-31 final, the Chiefs were headed to the AFC Championship game and the Texans were headed into an offseason of disappointment and, eventually, bizarrely choosing to trade their second-best player for an aging running back.
The Texans were the perfect season-opening matchup for the Chiefs. As they raise their Super Bowl LIV Championship banner, the Texans — who could have stopped the Chiefs’ run by merely holding a massive lead in the divisional round — will be on the other sideline.
For the 2020 matchup, the Texans were scarier with DeAndre Hopkins, and Andy Reid is 6-1 in season-opening games as the head coach of the Chiefs.
With the Chiefs favored by as much as 10 points, it seems like the Texans +10 would be a nice bet. However, kicking off the season with a Super Bowl banner and months to prepare makes this game feel like even more of a lock for the Chiefs than it would have later in the season.
