Houston Texans Have Major X-Factor for Matchup with Chiefs

The Houston Texans were able to shock the NFL in the Wild Card round of the playoffs by dominating the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, they're faced with the test of playing on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Going up against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs is never easy. Kansas City will come into the game as major favorites, but the Texans are more than content to play the underdog role.

In order to beat the Chiefs, they are going to need a lot of players to step up. They will also need a similar defensive performance to the one that they put up against Justin Herbert.

Getting after Mahomes will be a massive key for Houston.

Danielle Hunter is one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL. The Texans need him to have a big-time game and wreak havoc on Kansas City's offensive line and keep Mahomes having to make plays on the run.

Bruce Ewing of Yardbarker has named Hunter as the Texans' biggest X-Factor for this week's showdown.

"Mahomes took a career-high 36 sacks this season, including one in the Chiefs’ 27-19 victory over the Texans in Week 16. Hunter didn’t get to Mahomes that day but led Houston with 12 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss in the regular season," Ewing wrote.

"Only Joe Burrow (652) and Aaron Rodgers (584) had more passing attempts than Mahomes (581) this year and the Chiefs will surely look to air it out against the Texans. Houston blitzed with Hunter 46 times last season but only eight times in 2024. Expect him to be much more active on Saturday."

Throughout the course of the 2024 NFL season, Hunter ended up playing in 17 games. He racked up 46 tackles, 12 sacks, a forced fumble, and three defended passes.

Those numbers show the kind of impact that he can make on a game. He needs to be playing at his best ability if Houston is going to pull off another playoff upset.

Beating the Chargers was fun, but walking into Kansas City to play the Chiefs is a different beast. That win would be one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent history.

Hopefully, Hunter is able to rise to the occasion and live up to the X-Factor title that Ewing has given him. If he can be a disruptive force off the edge, the Texans would have a much better shot at the upset.