Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes Ready for Challenge of 'Extremely Real' Texans Defense

The Houston Texans' defense is no joke, and both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have that in mind as the Kansas City Chiefs' divisional round game approaches.
Oct 1, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pre game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pre game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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Sure, a David-versus-Goliath level of matchup may have to wait until the conference title game or Super Bowl. With that said, Saturday's meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans still brings plenty of intrigue thanks to both teams' strengths.

On offense, the reigning champs are getting healthy and looked like more of a well-oiled machine once wideout Marquise "Hollywood" Brown got back in the lineup. Ironically, his regular-season debut was Week 16's game between these very two teams. Houston, however, boasts one of football's better defenses and thrives against opposing passing attacks.

Something's got to give in this weekend's divisional round game as both sides look to bring their best. The Chiefs aren't taking the Texans lightly, especially on the defensive end. Head coach Andy Reid is well aware of what DeMeco Ryans, Matt Burke and their players are capable of.

"I mean, the first thing that jumps out at you is speed," Reid said. "That front can run. We didn't have a chance to play against [No.] 0 (Azeez Al-Shaair) last time we played them a couple weeks back, and he's fast also as a linebacker. He's kind of their main play-caller there. The speed of the o-line, the linebackers, just jumps out at you. They're really good. The hands of the secondary – those guys, they catch the ball. You don't see a lot of bobbles or drops. If you're presenting it close, they can go up and snag it."

Reid isn't lying about the Texans' defensive front. Houston ranks second in pressure rate as a defense, and they're the only team with two players ranking in the top 10 for individual pressure rate according to NFL Pro. The duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. is tough to stop, especially for a team that's still weighing its options at one offensive tackle spot.

During the regular season, the Texans held top-10 rankings in dropback EPA/play (seventh), overall EPA/play (sixth) and rush EPA/play (sixth). They were also the league's second-best defense on a per-drive basis in yards, plays and time of possession. That, combined with a great profile on third downs, built a case for Burke's unit being a borderline elite group. The cornerback duo of Derek Stingley Jr. and rookie Kamari Lassiter further complicates things for offenses.

That was all obvious before Houston dominated the Los Angeles Chargers on wild-card weekend and picked off quarterback Justin Herbert four times. While watching the game, Patrick Mahomes saw the same caliber of unit he faced less than a month ago.

"I think what everybody has kind of known," Mahomes said. "That defense is extremely real, they have a great quarterback and a great coach. We knew when we played them this last time, it was a hard-fought game. They get after the quarterback really well, they have great secondary players and the linebackers fly around. It'll be a great challenge for us, and we'll have to play our best football."

Houston does have a couple of injuries to monitor, namely to Al-Shaair (knee) and defensive lineman Denico Autry (knee) who were held out and limited, respectively, in Tuesday's practice.

But if there's one thing that defense has shown, it's that it typically finds a way to rise to the occasion regardless of who's at full strength.

Read More: Travis Kelce's Latest Update Should Scare Chiefs' Playoff Opponents


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Jordan Foote
JORDAN FOOTE

Jordan Foote is the deputy editor of Kansas City Chiefs On SI. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media.