Texans vs. Chiefs Predictions, Picks & Odds: NFL Week 16, Saturday, 12/21
As the regular season winds down, playoff spots begin to get clinched. That includes divisions, and this Sunday, we have a matchup of the AFC South-champion Houston Texans and AFC West-champion Kansas City Chiefs. To get you set for a potential playoff preview, we’ve got our top Texans vs. Chiefs predictions below.
You’ll also find the best bet from our Texans vs. Chiefs picks, and on top of that, a $150 FanDuel Sportsbook sign up bonus!
Texans vs. Chiefs Predictions For NFL Week 16, Saturday, 12/21
Along with the fact that these are two division champs, these are two teams that have been among the most difficult to get a read on this season. Not only overall, but for sports bettors too. Well, Kansas City had been 0-7 against the spread prior to last weekend, so perhaps that would be a solid read in the other direction than their fans would hope for.
Similarly, we’ve seen Houston look like an AFC favorite to rival the Chiefs, while also struggling as if they couldn’t block even the worst teams in the league. That’s all without mentioning arguably the biggest news of Sunday - Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes injuring his ankle.
Of course, we’ll touch on that and all important aspects in the matchup as we continue transitioning into the best bet from our Texans vs. Chiefs predictions!
Houston Texans: Staying In Form
While the Texans were able to secure the AFC South this past weekend, they have had their struggles this season for sure. That includes a stretch of three losses in a four-game span, one of which came against a lowly New York Jets squad.
While they’ve had dominant 34-10 road wins, they also recently lost at home to the Tennessee Titans. Now that they know that they’ll be in the postseason, it’s time to stay in form and try and build some momentum heading into the playoffs. They have potential playoff games against the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens their next two games, so they will be the perfect litmus tests.
Kansas City Chiefs: More Mahomes?
Now, onto the biggest news of the entire week, if not the entire season thus far. That is, of course, the Mahomes injury. As we’ve been hearing since the summer, the Chiefs are on their quest to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.
It’s difficult to imagine them doing so without a healthy Mahomes, and right now, we’re being told that it’s a high ankle sprain that avoided serious concern. Kansas City also plays on Christmas Day, which means not only is it a slightly shorter week this week, but an even shorter one on the horizon. So, will we see more Mahomes, or will they hold him out this week or even longer?
Texans vs. Chiefs Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
Based on the Texans vs. Chiefs odds at FanDuel Sportsbook below, we can get a clear answer of one of our questions above, which we’ll continue discussing as well:
- Point Spread: Houston Texans -2.5 (-110) vs. Kansas City Chiefs +2.5 (-110)
- Money Line: Houston Texans (-130) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (+110)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 39.5 (-110) vs. Under 39.5 (-110)
Texans vs. Chiefs Teaser: Joe Mixon Under Rushing Yards at FanDuel Sportsbook
Before we fully dive into the approach for the best bet from our Texans vs. Chiefs predictions, let’s first discuss why we’re focused there at all. When it comes to high ankle sprains, they are generally multiple week injuries, and with three games in 11 days, we’d expect KC to have Mahomes sit at least this Saturday to get ready for the 10-4 Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Texans vs. Chiefs odds certainly suggest that, as KC would absolutely not be underdogs at home against Houston - they would be quite significant favorites. However, we’ve also seen Mahomes play on an injured ankle in a playoff win, so at the end of the day, we simply want no part of the standard markets.
Instead, we’re going to stick with a player prop for the top pick from our Texans vs. Chiefs predictions, and not only that, focus on the Houston side of the matchup. As fantasy football managers would tell you as well, RB Joe Mixon has been absolutely fantastic for his new team this season.
There is no denying that, but this looks set to be a tough two-game stretch for him. As for this coming Saturday, he has to face the league’s third-best run defense in Kansas City. Based on how that run defense has been the past few seasons now, that comes as no surprise, and Mixon’s performance last Sunday was his worst yet.
If you just quickly look at the box score, you’ll see that Houston’s rushing leader was actually Dare Ogunbowale - a whopping 35 yards on a single carry. Well, Mixon was indeed on the field, but had just 23 yards on 12 carries. That’s as poor as it gets, and with an even poorer matchup, things don’t bode well for him this Saturday.
So, we’re going to avoid sweating out a winner at all and just focus our Texans vs. Chiefs predictions on Joe Mixon under rushing yards at FanDuel Sportsbook. There aren’t yet rushing props available, but we’ll be sure to update this article once they are.
Texans vs. Chiefs Injury Report & Latest News
Of course, we’ve already addressed the elephant in the room - the Patrick Mahomes injury. As you’d expect, he headlines this week’s Fantasy Alarm NFL injury report, where you can monitor his status and all key injuries across the league!
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