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3 things I’m watching for in Chiefs-Texans

BY PETE SWEENEY

You’ve probably heard this before, but it feels more relevant now than ever before.

Shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers, microphones caught a candid exchange between quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones. At the time, Jones’ future with the club was uncertain.

Mahomes was already thinking ahead.

“Hey brother, you ain’t going nowhere. I promise you,” laughed Mahomes. “Hey, we’re not done, dog, I want three. Three. No one’s ever got three.”

Time moves fast, especially during the NFL season – and that conversation 340 days ago has all led to this playoff run.

Here they are – those same Chiefs – with their first of three playoff obstacles: Saturday afternoon against the Houston Texans. In today’s preview, we’ll dive into the matchup.

First, I’ll tackle the three biggest questions heading into the game. Then, Rocky Magaña will break down his takeaways from re-watching Week 16’s Chiefs-Texans matchup. And finally, John Dixon takes a closer look at what to expect from tight end Travis Kelce, who lives for the postseason spotlight.

It’s the playoffs, people. Let’s dive in.

So who gets the start at left tackle?

The answer has to be Joe Thuney.

We’ve addressed the question in previous newsletters, hoping for some certainty from head coach Andy Reid this week. That didn’t come, with Reid saying on Tuesday that he planned to rotate Thuney and D.J. Humphries all week before making the decision.

On Wednesday, I asked offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for greater clarity on the team’s decision.

“It’s a good process where they both are able to get in there and just give it their best, which I think is great,” said Nagy. “They’re two big-time professionals that understand how to handle this and how we’ll go about it. That’s all you can really do, and, in the end, we have trust in both of them. As it goes and we practice and we go through that part of it, in the end, coach (Reid) will make a decision and we’ll rock with that.”

In a perfect world, the Chiefs would have more time to evaluate Humphries. They don’t. Remember, last year, Kansas City won all three playoff games from the Divisional round forward by one score. There is no burning a possession to see if it works.

Thuney starts at left tackle because the offense has looked best with him in that role. Mike Caliendo can hold down left guard, and Humphries can come off the bench if you need him. Even if Humphries does not play a snap in the playoffs, he was worth the roster spot just given the security he provides in case of injury.

What else is in this edition?

Pete has two more thoughts on the Chiefs’ Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Rocky Magaña re-watched the Chiefs-Texans Week 16 matchup — and he has some takeaways.
Our John Dixon reminds us all of just how valuable Travis Kelce can be in the postseason

The Editors Show weighs who should play and who shouldn’t

Here is a preview of this week’s Editors Show featuring Pete Sweeney and John Dixon.

AP Premier subscribers receive a link in their Tuesday newsletter to the full hour-long video podcast.

What else is included in a subscription?

You can expect 3 weekly newsletters during the season. In addition to our Thursday preview newsletter…

Brandon Kiley is Arrowhead Pride’s Tuesday columnist. Each and every week, he shares one deep thought about the state of the team.
In our post-game newsletter, Pete shares his three thoughts stemming from each performance, Ron Kopp delivers his very first look at the film — and Jared Sapp captures everything being said about the turning point of the game.

How to sign up for Arrowhead Pride Premier

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