Texans vs Chiefs Divisional Odds & Picks: Chiefs Are The Play

The Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday and oddsmakers installed the Chiefs as 8.5-point favorites. The total is 41.5 after these two teams combined to score 46 points in Week 16.

The Texans are fresh off an upset of the Los Angeles Chargers last week, while the Chiefs are well rested off a bye week and eyeing their third consecutive Super Bowl title.

Keep reading to see my full breakdown of the Texans vs. Chiefs game below:

Texans vs Chiefs Divisional Round Odds

Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs, January 18, 4:30 pm ET

**Texans vs Chiefs** **Odds**
Team	Spread	Moneyline	Total
Houston Texans	+8.5 (-110)	+350	O41.5 (-110)
Kansas City Chiefs	-8.5 (-110)	-460	U41.5 (-110)

Texans vs Chiefs Divisional Round Picks

Chiefs Moneyline -460

I was able to bet this at -400 at BetMGM earlier this week and posted it to our expert picks section, but the moneyline has since ballooned to -500 at BetMGM. There's still a -460 available at FanDuel for you and I'd still bet this at -475.

Sportsbooks are putting a premium on the Chiefs here and I recognize it's a steep price to pay, but what else can you ask for if you're Kansas City? You're at home. You have extra rest. And most importantly, your team is the healthiest it's been in a while with the receiving room of Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and DeAndre Hopkins is ready to roll.

The Texans defense looked great last week and snagged four interceptions, but Mahomes is a big step up from Justin Herbert in the playoffs. Remember that Houston is without Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward in their secondary and nobody can challenge the back end like Mahomes.

The worst unit on the field will be the Texans offensive line, which PFF.com recently ranked as the 28th best in the league. Nobody can expose a bad offensive line like Chiefs DT and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

The Texans are 5-4 on the road this season and that includes a win vs. the lowly Patriots and a tight 23-20 win Week 13 vs. the Jaguars. Don't overthink this one or buy too much into the Texans hype. It's possible the Chiefs will be rusty early on, but when the lock hits triple zeroes, I fully expect Kansas City to be the winners.

Texans vs Chiefs Divisional Round Props

Trent McDuffie O2.5 tackles (-170) at Sportsbook

Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie has gone over this tackle number in each of his last six games and that includes a game against these Chiefs when he had four solo tackles and an assist in Week 16.

Tackle numbers for cornerbacks is very dependent on how willing a quarterback is willing to throw at a cornerback. With fellow cornerback Jaylen Watson back in the lineup, it stands to reason that Texans quarterback CJ Stroud will need to look McDuffie's way even more often in this game.

For two more player props from this game, both on Chiefs players, check out my Chiefs vs. Texans Player Props Article.

Texans vs Chiefs Divisional Round News

Texans starting guard Shaq Mason, who injured his knee in a Week 16 game vs. the Chiefs and hasn't played since was limited in practice Wednesday. The fact that he couldn't even get in a limited practice before last week's game suggested he was still a long way from playing but now his status is truly a question mark.

Texans had six players limited in practice Wednesday including LB Azeez Al-Shaair, DT Denico Autry, Mason, and Joe Mixon.

The Chiefs are expected to get back starting cornerback Jaylen Watson who hasn't played since October because of an ankle injury. Watson was a full participant in Tuesday and Wednesdays practice which is a great sign.

The Chiefs are extremely healthy as wide receiver Mecole Hardman (limited in practice) is the only active player who didn't practice in full on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Texans vs Chiefs Divisional Round Weather

Kevin Roth over at Rotogrinders.com had this to say about the weather for Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium: "Cold and dry. Gametime temp should be in the low-to-mid 20s, with a 10mph sustained wind gusting over 20mph. While neither cold weather nor 10mph sustained winds are major downgrades, the "freezing cold and somewhat breezy" weather certainly isn't ideal. Slight bump down to offenses with feels-like temperatures around 10 degrees."