As experts evaluated last weeks wildcard matchups, one thing seemed to be certain. The Kansas City Chiefs would host Tom Brady and the New England Patriots after they marched past Tennessee. But with the dawn of the new decade, perhaps it was time for in with the new and out with the old.
The nearly invincible Pats, who reached the AFC Championship game the last eight seasons, were bounced in the first round by the Titans. Meaning a rematch of last years AFC Championship game was all but lost.
With Brady gone, the door is now open for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to engineer a run for the Lombardi Trophy. But standing in his way this week will be another gunslinger in Deshaun Watson.
Watson led his Houston Texans to a week 6 win at Arrowhead, stunning the Kansas City crowd by handing the Chiefs their second consecutive home loss.
In that game, Watson completed 32/40 for 280 yards and a touchdown toss to Duke Johnson. He also shredded the Chiefs on the ground, rushing for 42 yards along with two scores.
A week ago, Watson constructed a second-half comeback at home against Buffalo. Trailing 13-0, Watson scampered into the endzone on a 22-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion to bring Houston within five.
The Texans battled to take back the lead, but a late Buffalo field goal meant overtime was on the table. In overtime, Watson pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Facing second-and-6, two Bills defenders sandwiched Watson in the backfield, but the elusive field general spun out of the tackle, and found running back Taiwan Jones for 34 yards.
The completion put Houston inside the red zone, leading to the game-icing field goal that put is where we are today… Mahomes vs. Watson.
While Watson and Houston may have gotten the better of Kansas City last time out, expect matters to change this time around.
For one, Mahomes is no longer the wobbly hindered passer he was against Houston in week 6. It was clear that Mahomes was still in discomfort from the ankle injury he had been battling since the opening weeks of the season.
The next week, Mahomes was sidelined for good after he dislocated his kneecap against the Broncos on a goal line quarterback sneak. As it turned out, the injury was a blessing in disguise.
When Mahomes returned against the Titans in week 10, he threw for 446 yards and 3 passing touchdowns, but the Chiefs were narrowly defeated 35-32. Since that loss, Kansas City is 6-0, picking up signature wins against Minnesota at home and New England away.
Mahomes and the offense isnt the only reason Chiefs fans should feel confident ahead of Sundays contest. At the moment, Kansas City is thriving in all three phases of the game.
On special teams, second-round pick Mecole Hardmon is earning his rookie paycheck. On kick returns, Hardmon has 27 attempts for 704 yards, including a 104-yard return for a touchdown against the Chargers in week 17.
Hardmon has also been a key cog in the Chiefs passing game. The rookie has 26 receptions for 538 yards, and is averaging 11.2 yards after the catch. Hardmons first-year efforts have seen him earn All-Pro honors.
