Chiefs at Texans: Will Anyone Be Paying Attention to This Game?

To get you ready for week 1, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Kansas City Chiefs/Houston Texans preview.

2006 Records: (Click names for 2007 preview)

Kansas City Chiefs: 9-7 (2nd in AFC West)
Houston Texans: 6-10 (4th in AFC South)

2006 Head-to-Head:

No game. (Chiefs 45 - Texans 17 in 2005)

When the Chiefs have the ball: After an extremely unimpressive preseason by all of their quarterbacks, coupled with the return of Larry Johnson, you can bet that Kansas City will be running the ball all day long. That's not to say they won't air it out at times, just that they probably won't focus on that phase of the game. Then again, the Texans secondary isn't much better than their front seven.

Houston, who ranked 20th in rush defense last year, will be forced to find a way to stop one of the front runners for NFL MVP. Whether or not they can do it remains to be seen, but you can bet a whole lot of game-planning went into it.

When the Texans have the ball: Offensively, things should be entirely different for Houston. Although the offensive line is still somewhat of a question mark, the additions of Matt Schaub and Ahman Green should pay huge dividends for the Texans. While the verdict may still be out on Schaub, I, for one, believe he's going to be a quality NFL starter. And Green, who finally appears to be healthy, gives Houston a 1,000 yard+, 8-12 touchdown running back -- something they haven't had since Domanick (Davis) Williams in 2004.

Let's not forget about Andre Johnson, who is arguably one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He adds a whole different dimension to any offense, and should have another spectacular year. Add all those factors to Ron Dayne, who is a quality back-up despite the knocks against him, and the Texans have an offense that will be much better than most people expect.

Each of those players will be on display this Sunday.

The Edge: Experts, analysts and fans are always looking for the "edge" and what team has it. So, which team has the edge in this contest? Unfortunately, it's hard to tell. In most cases, a team has suffered through something extensive in the offseason, or one side does a significant amount of trash talking. However, that hasn't happened here and neither side appears to have any distinct off-field advantage.

Keep an eye on:

Andre Johnson versus the Chiefs secondary - Kansas City ranked near the bottom of the league in pass defense last year, so the Texans will likely go to Johnson early and often.

Amobi Okoye - As I stated earlier, slowing down Larry Johnson will be the key to this game for Houston. Will the rookie defensive tackle step-up and make an immediate impact?

Note: As I questioned in the headline, will anyone outside of Kansas City and Houston be paying attention to this game? It seems like there is a Cinderella story every year in the NFL, and there is no reason to think that it couldn't be one of these two teams. For that reason, and the fact that it's football, people should be paying close attention to this game.