Eric Murray Houston TexansEric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Either the Patriots or Chiefs have played in the AFC Championship Game each of the last 13 seasons. This week, the Texans can break that impressive streak, and if they do will advance to that contest for the first time. Houston is 0-5 as a franchise in the divisional round.

But exactly 13 years ago Wednesday, Eli Manning passed for 330 yards, including two touchdowns to Hakeem Nicks and another to Mario Manningham, as the Giants stunned the 15-1 Packers at Lambeau Field in the 2011 divisional playoffs. Like the Chiefs this season, the Packers were undefeated at home that year. And that’s just one reason why the Texans (11-7) have hope entering their own divisional-round showdown at Kansas City (15-2) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).

Another reason the Texans could upset the Chiefs is Houston’s stellar defense. Herbert threw just three interceptions all season but the Texans picked him off four times in their 32-12 wild-card victory. They also sacked him four times.

“They put five guys across the line of scrimmage and they wanted Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson to destroy the football game, both in the run and the pass,” said Dan Orlovsky on Tuesday’s NFL Live. “And I think that’s going to be a big-time challenge for the Kansas City Chiefs, when they put those five guys across. Because here’s the thing: When you do this defensively, you got to be able to play man coverage and the Texans are capable of it. And these two guys on the outside, Will Anderson specifically, he just wants to destroy plays.”

Destruction isn’t something the Chiefs are built to handle, especially on the outside. Their much-maligned offensive tackles have allowed the bulk of Patrick Mahomes’ career-most 36 sacks. While opponents have sacked Mahomes just once over the last three games, Houston has to be champing at the bit.

Mahomes also seems to have turned the corner in the turnover category. He threw interceptions in each of his first seven games but finished the year with zero interceptions over his last six. In fact, eight of his final nine games were interception-free, including a 27-19 win over the Texans on Dec. 21. The only game over the season’s second half in which Mahomes threw passes to the other team was Kansas City’s 31-20 loss at Buffalo, where he threw two.

But Herbert was even better at protecting the ball and he was uncomfortable the entire game against Houston. Like Hunter and Anderson, Derek Stingley and the Texans’ secondary would love to affect Mahomes in similar fashion.

Regardless of who advances in their divisional-playoff battle, after Houston humbled Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Saturday, the Chiefs certainly know they’re not getting another bye week.

For more information on the Texans and Chiefs, visit the Houston and Kansas City team pages at ProFootballPost.com.


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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