KC Chiefs: Getting to know Houston Texans before Divisional Round

What’s the status on Will Fuller?

Brian: He has been limited in practice all this week but his status will be hinged on how he practices Friday. My best guess is that he will be ruled as questionable and will be a game-time decision. Fuller is right at the estimated time for recovery from his groin injury — estimated three weeks — so he should be out there. Now the Texans will be coy in reporting his status so it can throw off the Chiefs’ game plan to defend but I think he will play. They’ll likely put him on some sort of snap count but if Fuller has the ability to sprint to break out for a deep gain, this offense is going to be hard to stop. They’re so much better with him than without but Kenny Stills is a formidable replacement.

What are some key differences for Houston since the last time they faced Kansas City?

Brian: The first is that Patrick Mahomes is relatively healthy so the team doesn’t have the opportunity to take advantage of a hobbled quarterback. They just had to control the clock and keep him off the field which is typically the recipe for success to beat the Chiefs. That’s not going to be as easy this time around.

The second is that they’ve made impressive strides to keep their penalty counts low. They had 10 against the Chiefs earlier this season, costing them 70 yards. They understand that and have cut those in half, averaging about five over the last four games.

Thirdly, the special teams play is a lot stronger. There were rapport issues between Ka’imi Fairbairn and Bryan Anger. This wasn’t in the emotional sense but when it was time to set up for field goal kicks. Fairbairn had a rough patch earlier in the season where he was missing field goals — and extra point opportunities — left and right. There were questions on whether the Texans needed to look for another kicker but Bill O’Brien stuck by him in his rough patch and it paid off. He hasn’t missed either since mid-November so he’s back to his old self again. Anger had replaced Trevor Daniel, last season’s punter and Fairbairn had just training camp to work with him. Anger was brought in to provide competition for Daniel and he ultimately won the battle. There were a lot of bad holds on those kicks but they’ve seemed to work those issues out now. Anger will be the Texans punter for the foreseeable future —  he just signed a three-year, $7.5 million extension that he was offered last week.

Since putting up 28 points on the Patriots in Week 13, the Texans haven’t scored more than 24 points in a single game. How big of a worry is that?

Brian: I don’t worry about that all, a lot of those happenings were wildly circumstantial and they still scored enough to win the football game which is most important. They will need more than 24 points to beat the Chiefs Sunday and with a full staff on deck, I think the likelihood of that happening is still pretty darn good. Beating the Pats was a statement win as O’Brien needed that win to validate his growth over his sensei, Bill Belichick. They stuck it to the Pats and I don’t blame them for doing so.

Watson seemed to struggle down the stretch, too, with only 4 touchdown passes versus 5 interceptions his last four games. How much faith do you have in him to lead Houston to victory this weekend?

Brian: It’s unfortunate to see but in every one of those plays, he was trying to make something happen. I have FULL faith and confidence that he will be able to lead the Texans to victory this Sunday. He’s a gamer, a baller, and a shot-caller. He’s won at every level of football he’s played and it won’t be different as a pro’s pro as he grows his career in the NFL. I was a fan of his when watching Clemson play but seeing him every Sunday convinces me that he’s got something — an IT factor — that will shine through regardless of the circumstances. If the Texans lose, it won’t be his fault but with the selfless character that he has, he’d take the blame in heartbeat. That’s absolutely amazing to see for somebody that’s only 24-years-old.