Chiefs-Texans Week 15 Odds, Betting Insights: Chiefs Listed as 12.5-Point Favorite

Points shouldn't be a problem for the Chiefs. Covering a wide spread late in the season will be the challenge.

After 13 games, Kansas City has played five teams (Tampa – 6-7, Buffalo – 10-3, Tennessee – 7-6, San Francisco – 9-4, and Cincinnati – 9-4) that have at least a share of their division by record. The best two wins came at the 49ers (44-23) and in Tampa (41-31) while getting picked off by the Bills (24-20) and Bengals (27-24). The Chiefs scored 30 or more points in four of their first seven matchups while showing improvement on the defensive side of the ball over the past six games (three teams scored 17 points or fewer).

The Texans have yet to win a game at home (0-5-1) while riding an eight-game losing streak. Last week, their undermanned offense had Dallas on the ropes until the game's final minute. Houston lost by 12 points or more five times over their previous eight matchups despite allowing more than 30 points only to the Raiders in Week 7. The Texans will be without their star running back (Dameon Pierce) this week, while the status of Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins have yet to return to practice.

The Chiefs remain the top passing team in the NFL (4,160 yards and 33 touchdowns) while not having an elite option at wideout. Their rushing offense improved over the past five weeks (27/155, 27/163, 30/117/1, 25/138/2, and 23/89), but their running backs only have eight touchdowns on the ground on the year. Patrick Mahomes passed for more than 300 yards in seven of his last eight starts, with an uptick in stats in the run game (30/188/2). On the defensive side of the ball, wide receivers have 19 scores with 180 catches for 2,133 yards. Kansas City’s defense tightens up on the ground in the red zone, but their offenses have 28 passing touchdowns.

Houston continues to be a doormat in the NFL vs. running backs (2,342 combined yards with 19 touchdowns and 54 catches). Only two teams (LAC – 27/81/2 and Miami (26/66/1) rushed for fewer than 125 yards. Some of the passing damage has been masked by a low number of passing attempts faced per game (29.8). The Texans’ running backs had 53 catches over the first five games but only 23 over the last six weeks. Houston struggled to run over the previous four games (16/21/1, 14/36/1, 22/82, and 37/114/1) while losing the time of possession battle from Week 10 to Week 13. Their offense scored more than two touchdowns in one game this season.

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Chiefs vs. Texans Odds

Moneyline: Chiefs (-800) | Texans (+550)
Spread: KC -12.5 (-133) | HOU +12.5 (+110)
Total: 49.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Game Info: December 18th, 2022 | 4 p.m. ET | FOX

Chiefs Straight-Up Record: 10-3
Chiefs Against The Spread Record: 5-8

Texans Straight-Up Record: 1-10-1
Texans Against The Spread Record: 5-7-1

Bet on Chiefs-Texans at SI Sportsbook

Odds and Betting Insights

Houston’s defense will have their hands full when asked to defend the entire field vs. the pass while already having massive concerns against the run. I expect Kansas City to move the ball well while scoring over 30 points. Based on the injuries to the Texans on offense, they will be hard-pressed to score more than 17 points. The play here is on the Chiefs minus the points.

The player props have yet to be posted for this game at SI Sportsbook, but I like Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco to score and go over their receiving and rushing yards totals. 

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