Here is who national experts are predicting will win KC Chiefs-Houston Texans game

There has been a common question for defensive coaches around the NFL since quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the Chiefs’ starter.

Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire was the latest to be asked the question. How can Houston slow Mahomes when he and the Chiefs face the Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium?

“Obviously he’s a dynamic player. One of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He’s won Super Bowls and he’s very, very experienced,” Cesaire told reporters. “He’s very slippery in and out of the pocket and makes all the great throws. He has a great arm, so it’s gonna be a tremendous challenge for the guys but I know we’re always up for any challenge.”

Can the Texans pull off the upset? Here is what 51 national experts are saying about the game, which kicks off at noon and will air on KCTV (Ch. 5).

A 41-20 Chiefs victory is the prediction from Yardbarker’s Chris Mueller. Here is an excerpt from his story: “I am assuming that after burying the Broncos early, and realizing that their opponent was, in fact, the Broncos, the Chiefs just sort of stopped trying. I can’t blame them — we’ve all watched Russell Wilson this season — but a funny thing happened. Wilson came alive, the Chiefs just stalled out, and Patrick Mahomes went from flipping no-look touchdown passes to throwing interceptions. I don’t want to overreact to a mediocre 35 minutes, because the Chiefs are still the scariest team in the league when they’re on, but they can’t afford this sort of uneven performance against quality opponents.”

A 38-17 Chiefs victory is the forecast from Bill Bender of the Sporting News. This is from his story: “The Texans led for most of the game against the Cowboys in Week 14. Kansas City will not be as generous on the road. Patrick Mahomes II will bounce back from a three-interception performance.”

All three of the writers at Pro Football Network took the Chiefs: Adam Beasley (30-20 final score), Dallas Robinson (35-13) and Dalton Miller (28-13). Here is part of what Arif Hasan wrote: “The Chiefs pose a bad matchup for almost any team in the NFL, and they present a particularly bad matchup for the Texans, whose offensive line struggles along the interior and whose corners cannot keep up with Kansas City’s receivers. On top of that, Travis Kelce brings his own set of problems that will be impossible to solve.”

Each of the eight writers at CBS Sports see the Chiefs winning: Jason LaCanfora, Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Will Brinson, John Breech, Dave Richard, Ryan Wilson and Jamey Eisenberg. Prisco predicted a 33-17 score. Here is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs are also playing consecutive road games, but it won’t matter. They get it going on both sides here. Blowout as Patrick Mahomes plays well.”

The Chiefs were the pick for the writers at Pro Football Talk. Michael David Smith called a 40-17 score. He wrote: “The Texans managed to keep it close in their loss to the Cowboys, but I think they’ll be back to their terrible ways against the Chiefs.” Mike Florio sees a 41-24 final. He wrote: “The Texans emptied the tank last week in Dallas. This week, a focused and driven Chiefs team will take full advantage.”

All five Audacy writers think the Chiefs will win.

Each of the 10 Athletic writers picked the Chiefs to win: Zack Berman, Michael-Shawn Dugar, Larry Holder, Mark Kaboly, Josh Kendall, Nick Kosminder, Austin Mock, Jay Morrison, Tashan Reed and Ben Standig. The Athletic writers wrote: “Unshockingly, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are in contention for a first-place AFC finish. But with them not owning the tiebreaker over the Bills, who share the same record but are atop the standings, Kansas City will need to finish with a better record than Buffalo to secure the bye. The Chiefs also potentially need to finish with better records than those who are on their heels in the standings, including the four-loss Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. In other words, the Chiefs need to keep winning games, and facing Houston on Sunday shouldn’t stop them from doing so.”

A 35-17 Chiefs win is the prediction from NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. This is what he wrote: “I love that the Chiefs can finish off games with power running from Isiah Pacheco. I love Patrick Mahomes in a game against the Texans after hearing that Jalen Hurts is the MVP favorite. I love that Houston’s trying a quarterback platoon with Jeff Driskel. I love you all for reading the Chiefs-Texans score explanation in Week 15, as if this matchup is some mystery.”

The Chiefs are the pick from the Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia. Here is an excerpt from his story: “Patrick Mahomes threw three interceptions last week in a win over the Broncos, but he also made some incredible plays. On the season, Mahomes ranks first among all starting quarterbacks in EPA per pass play. Following an offseason in which they traded away Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs still have the best offense in the NFL.”

All five Sports Illustrated writers went with the Chiefs: Conor Orr, Gary Grammling, John Pluym, Albert Breer and Mitch Goldich.

Picking the Chiefs were the six USA Today writers: Jarrett Bell (37-17 final score), Chris Bumbaca (31-18), Nate Davis (38-16), Safid Deen (30-10), Tyler Dragon (30-14) and Lorenzo Reyes (27-7).

All eight pundits at ESPN have the Chiefs winning: Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Domonique Foxworth, Dan Graziano, Laura Rutledge and Seth Wickersham.

This story was originally published December 18, 2022 6:51 AM.