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3 Kansas City Chiefs Bold Predictions for Week 1

By Jason Schandl

Bold predictions for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.
Bold predictions for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. / Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
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The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs kick off their 2020 NFL season with a Week 1 home game against the Houston Texans. The Chiefs are heavy favorites in this one, and they're expected to open the season 1-0.

A win for the champs wouldn't be shocking, but we know we can always expect some surprises in Week 1. With that in mind, here are three bold predictions for the Chiefs against the Texans.

3. The Chiefs Sack Deshaun Watson Five Times

The Texans allowed a sack on 8.4 percent of their pass plays in 2019 — the sixth highest rate in the NFL. The Chiefs also got to Deshaun Watson for 4 sacks in the Divisional Round playoff matchup. The Texans could be giving up even more sacks this season as Watson lost his top receiving target in DeAndre Hopkins, only to have him replaced with Brandin Cooks. With Cooks and Will Fuller serving as their top two receiving options, Watson could be forced to hold the ball longer, which is bad news for a guy who was already pressured 130 times (10th most in the NFL) last year.

2. Patrick Mahomes Throws for Fewer than 270 Yards

Patrick Mahomes eclipsed 270 passing yards in nine of his 13 full games in the 2019 season, but he could fall short of that in Week 1. The Chiefs are Week 1's biggest favorites (9.5-point spread), and that means we could see them get out to an early lead here. If the Chiefs are playing with a big lead, we could see them go with a more run-heavy approach than usual. Both of the Chiefs' two biggest wins in the 2019 regular season were also two of the four games in which Mahomes fell shy of 270 yards.

1. Darrel Williams Scores 2 Touchdowns

Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire is their lead RB, but buzz in training camp is that Darrel Williams could get some action as well. At 5-foot-11 and 224 pounds, Williams profiles as a more powerful goalline back than Edwards-Helaire (207 pounds), and that means he could vulture some TDs all season. As almost 10-point favorites in a game with an over/under above 50 points, KC is projected to do a ton of scoring. Williams should get a few cracks at the end zone in this one.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.