AFC Wild Card Playoff Game Capsule: Texans v. Chiefs

Courtesy of NFL Communications, I give you these numbers, notes, and food for thought as your Houston Texans open the 2015 NFL Playoffs by hosting the Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

NOTES

Saturday marks the first time the Texans and Chiefs have met in the playoffs.

CHIEFS:

They aim for their first road playoff win since 01/16/94.  That win just so happened to be against the Houston Oilers in the divisional round.

They have won 10 consecutive games, the longest streak in club history and the longest active streak in the NFL. The Chiefs are the first team in NFL history to win 10 consecutive games and have a five-game losing streak in the same season.

In three career playoff games, QB ALEX SMITH has passed for 873 yards, 9 TDs, 0 INTs, and a 108.6 rating. Smith aims for his fourth playoff game in a row with a 97+ rating. He has a 3-0 record versus Houston as a starter, passing for 642 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, and a 88.1 rating. Since 2011, Smith ranks second in the NFL in interception percentage (1.4 %). He has rushed for 498 yards in 2015, which is the second-most among AFC QBs and the most ever by a Chiefs QB in a season.

In his past four games on the road, RB CHARCANDRICK WEST is averaging 88.5 yards from scrimmage per game (196 rushing, 158 receiving, 354 total) and has 3 total TDs (2 rushing, 1 receiving).

WR JEREMY MACLIN led the team with a career-high 87 catches (most ever by a Chiefs wide receiver) for 1,088 yards and 8 TDs. In two career postseason games (both with Eagles), Maclin has 10 catches for 219 yards, including a 76-yard TD. In two career meetings at Houston, he has 11 catches for 210 yards and 2 TDs. Maclin has 6 TDs in his past 7 games, including a 25-yarder last week versus the Raiders. He aims for his fourth game in a row with a TD.

TE TRAVIS KELCE had a career-best 72 catches in 2015, joining TONY GONZALEZ as the only Chiefs TEs with 70+ receptions in a single season. Since 2014, Kelce ranks third in the AFC and fourth in the NFL amongst TEs with 1,737 receiving yards.

The Chiefs led the AFC and ranked second in the NFL with 22 INTs.

Rookie CB MARCUS PETERS tied for first in the NFL with 8 INTs (most among rookies) and had 2 interceptions returned for TDs. Peters also led the NFL with a club-record 280 INT-return yards. He was the first rookie to tie for the league lead in INTs since 2009 (JAIRUS BYRD). Peters also has 4 INTs in his past 5 games.

In his past 21 games, LB JUSTIN HOUSTON has 22.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 INTs. Since 2012, he ranks second in the NFL with 50.5 sacks (behind J.J. WATT). Houston had a sack in his only career playoff game (01/04/14 Wild Card game versus the Colts).

LB TAMBA HALI posted 6.5 sacks in 2015 and has 86 for his career, eclipsing NEIL SMITH (85.5) for the second-most in franchise history. Hali has 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in his past 2 meetings with Houston.

The Chiefs had 5 players selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl (TE Kelce, LBs Hali and Houston, S ERIC BERRY, CB Peters).

TEXANS:

The won the AFC South for the third time in club history and the first time since 2012. The Texans are 2-0 at home in postseason games.

QB BRIAN HOYER will make his postseason debut. Hoyer passed for a career-high 19 TDs in 11 games in 2015. In his past 10 games, Hoyer has passed for 2,370 yards, 18 TDs, 6 INTs, and a 93.3 rating. He has 2+ TD passes in 7 of his past 10 games and has won four of his past six starts.

RB ALFRED BLUE led the Texans with a career-high 698 rushing yards. Blue has rushed for 254 yards in his past three games (84.7 yards per game), including two 100-yard games.

Last week, RB JONATHAN GRIMES became the third player in Texans history with a rushing TD and a TD catch in the same game, joining RBs ARIAN FOSTER and STEVE SLATON.

WR DEANDRE HOPKINS led the team with 111 catches for 1,521 yards and a club-record 11 TD receptions. Hopkins joined ANDRE JOHNSON as the only Texans with 100 catches and 1,500 receiving yards in a single season. In 2015, Nuk became the third-youngest player in NFL history to reach 200 career catches. In two career meetings against the Chiefs, he has 12 catches for 174 yards and 3 TDs, including 9 receptions for 98 yards and 2 TDs in his last meeting with Kansas City.

WR NATE WASHINGTON posted 47 catches for 658 yards and 4 TDs in his first season with the Texans, including 6 catches for 105 yards versus the Chiefs in the season opener.

The Texans ranked second in the AFC in total defense and pass defense (210.4 yards per game). They were the only team in the NFL to have two players with 12+ sacks in 2015--DE J.J. WATT (17.5) and LB WHITNEY MERCILUS (12).

Watt led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2015.  He is one of seven players to lead the league in sacks twice since 1982. In his past 21 games, Watt has 28.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, a safety, 10 PDs, and a TD catch. Since entering the NFL in 2011, Watt leads the league with 74.5 sacks. Last week, he joined Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE (3) as the only players in NFL history with 15+ sacks in three of their first five NFL seasons. Watt has 3 sacks and a forced fumble in two career meetings against the Chiefs.

Mercilus has 10 sacks in his past 10 games, including 3.5 last week versus the Jaguars.

LB BRIAN CUSHING led the team with 110 tackles.

S ANDRE HAL led the Texans with a career-best 4 INTs, including a 31-yard INT returned for a TD in Week 6 versus the Jaguars.

In his past 3 home games, LB JADEVEON CLOWNEY has 2.5 sacks.

The club had 2 players selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl (WR Hopkins and DE Watt).

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