After winning their first championship in half a century, the Kansas City Chiefs return to Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night to defend their Super Bowl title in hopes of winning another Lombardi trophy.
Thursday night’s battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans will kick off the start to the 2020 NFL season, which will feature two of the league’s young star QBs going head to head.
When Houston last faced Kansas City, they squandered a 24-0 lead in nine minutes to inevitably lose to the Chiefs 51-31 in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. Houston’s epic collapse would help propel Kansas City on an unforgettable Super Bowl run.
Since their crushing defeat, Houston underwent changes over the off-season that included losing two of their top playmakers, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and running back Carlos Hyde, who accounted for 40% of their offensive production in 2019. Former New England receiver Brandon Cooks and Arizona tailback David Johnson will likely be filling in as their replacements going forward.
Meanwhile, Kansas City spent their off-season retaining as many players from last season as they could. In doing so, the Chiefs will have 18 of 22 starters from last year’s roster suiting up for tonight’s game.
The Chiefs have won five straight season-opening games and are a combined 12-1 in games that are played in September over the last four seasons. Over this stretch, Kansas City averaged 31.9 points per game and no team has played better, statistically.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has also been superbly dominant in September, going 7-0 and throwing 23 touchdowns with no interceptions. Mahomes also averages 344 yards and 3 TDs per game; and leads the NFL in passer rating, yards per attempt, and plays of 25 yards or more.
Mahomes and the Chiefs will look to continue their September magic against the Texans on Thursday night.
So far, games between the Chiefs and Texans have been competitive and entertaining matchups that feature a rivalry between two of the top passers in the AFC in Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
Through two games, both QBs are 1-1 against each other, with Mahomes throwing for eight touchdowns and one pick, while Watson has found the endzone five times, three of which he scored with his legs. Neither quarterback holds anything back when they are on the field, especially when they go head-to-head. Both offenses are sure to be on full display for the NFL’s season-opening game.
Upon their return to Arrowhead, the Texans will look to start their 2020 campaign by avenging their disappointing defeat to the Chiefs back in January. While on the other side, Kansas City has its sights on being the first team since the ’03-’04 New England Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
