KC Chiefs: Five Keys To Victory VS Houston Texans
By Scott Dillon
Just-in Time
The Chiefs look to have Justin Houston back for the first time this weekend. He may be somewhat hobbled (if he plays) and may not play all the snaps he normally would, but Dee Ford has proven to be an adequate replacement.
A healthy pass rush should help the KC Chiefs odds at creating turnovers and forcing punts. Let’s take a look at the four games that kicked off the winning streak.
Bottom line: No matter how stingy the defense has been lately, they’re that much better with a healthy edge rush.
These are the last four games in which Hali and Houston were both healthy. In those games, the Chiefs faced the Lions, Steelers, Broncos, and Chargers. These teams average 22.75 points per game and the Chiefs were able to hold them to 9.6 points per game on average.
While that stat includes a Landry Jones run Steelers team, they still had Leveon Bell and that same offense hung 25 the week before on a very good Arizona Cardinals team.
In that same four game span, the Chiefs racked up 10 of their 22 total interceptions and recorded 16 of their 47 sacks. Bottom line: No matter how stingy the defense has been lately, they’re that much better with a healthy edge rush.
Next: Keep the ball