‘Best in the business’ Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes presents ‘true challenge’ for Texans elite defense

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The signature scramble drill batches where imagination, mobility, field awareness and an ability to deliver the football precisely into tight corners of the field at improbable angles.

The cannon-like arm strength to rifle deep passes to strike from everywhere.

And the confidence and experience as a Super Bowl winner and NFL Most Valuable Player.

Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the equivalent of the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the NFL as an elite passing and running presence whose unpredictable style of play allows him to overcome substandard pass blocking and a nagging right ankle injury that briefly endangered his playing status.

And the Texans’ elite defense will be tested severely by all of Mahomes’ multidimensional skill on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. He’s playing and he was removed from the injury report on Thursday, meaning he’s regarded as full-go for this matchup between the 13-1, AFC West champions and top seed in the AFC and the AFC South champion Texans, a 9-5 squad that has leaned heavily on its defensive prowess with the offense faltering for most of this season.

It’s a special challenge the Texans embrace.

“Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, the architect of the NFL’s fourth-ranked defense. “He has done it for a long time, done it for a really high level. Where he gains most of his success is just keeping plays alive off-schedule. Their receivers and tight ends, they know how to uncover. “They know how to find the open space in zone coverage, sit routes down. It is a true challenge.

“It is going to take everyone, especially our d-line the way they have to work together. You try to keep them contained but it is easier said than done. He still finds a way to escape, finds a way to make plays. It is just going to take a really tremendous effort from everybody. Just being where we are supposed to be, being able to play disciplined football for four quarters.”

No injury designations for Texans’ Joe Mixon, Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, both good to go for Saturday’s game at Arrowhead

From Mahomes’ standpoint, it’s about harnessing his mobility despite the ankle injury to beat the Texans with a combination of strategy and precision.

For Mahomes, that starts with running away from a relentless Texans pass rush headlined by Pro Bowl defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. They have already combined for 22 1/2 sacks for a Texans defense designed by Ryans to attack the pocket and make quarterbacks uncomfortable.

“I want to be able to move, I want to be able to get out of the way,” Mahomes said. “I mean, this is a good pass rush, a good defense, they fly around. You don’t wanna go out there and put yourself in harms way. I mean, obviously it’s football.

“You’re gonna take hits but you wanna be able to protect yourself.. And I don’t wanna limit the game plan.. I want to still be able to move around in the pocket. So we’re not just sitting in one spot the whole entire game and let their D-line really get after it.”

The Texans rank fourth in total defense, allowing 302.4 yards per game. They’re sixth against the pass, allowing just 196.9 yards through the air per contest. They’re 10th in rushing defense, giving up 105.6 yards on the ground per game. And they’re ninth in scoring defense, 21.4 points per game, fourth in third-down defense and second in the league in sacks and takeaways.

Mahomes has passed for 3,348 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season, relatively modest numbers. The win-loss percentage is bold and impressive, though.

A three-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, one-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year and six-time Pro Bowl selection, Mahomes is the top quarterback in the NFL and has set a torrid pace that will end one day with him enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I mean, he’s the best,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “He’s the best in the business in a lot of categories. I think he’s difficult. We’ve played a lot of mobile quarterbacks and guys that escape and make off-schedule plays. I think he’s probably the least predictable of where he’s going with it, or where he’s getting out. Some guys, you know kind of where their favorite to escape to or like to flush, or they don’t want to go away from the throwing hand, or they want to step up. He’ll do it all.

“And he steps up, then drops back, then spins and goes and gets out. So, that’s the first piece is I think he’s a lot more unpredictable in where he’s escaping to and how you’re trying to corral him.. Our front’s got to be good and try to corral him and rush him and keep him where we want to keep him. And then our back end has to plaster and understand you’re in zone coverage, they’re not just going to run to you in your zone. They’re going to sit down. They’re going to move. They’re going to break off your leverage, all those things. So, it’s going to be a full team effort to try to stop this.”

Between Hunter and Anderson and All-Pro candidate cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who has five interceptions and is the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the Texans have a formidable defense.

And the Chiefs’ offensive line is definitely vulnerable. They’ve tried several players at left tackle and miss an injured D.J. Humphries. They shifted offensive guard Joe Thuney to left tackle with decent results.

“Their line definitely has their struggles and I feel like we can take advantage of that,” defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. said. “We got an elite line. .I hope he is mobile enough because we coming in Arrowhead. Pat better make good decisions. I ain’t making threats. I’m making promises.”

Already this season, the Texans have throttled talented quarterbacks with victories over the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, who had four turnovers with three interceptions last week, Buffalo Bills veteran Josh Allen and talented Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams.

In one category, the Texans rank first overall in defense: DVOA, measuring how a team performs defensively compared to league average.

Led by Stingley, the Texans rank first in completion rate surrendered (57.7 percent), passer rating allowed (79.6) and 80 pass breakups.

He’s the first player in franchise history to intercept five passes in consecutive seasons and has set career-highs with 17 passes broken up, 46 tackles and four tackles for losses.

“His ball skills and how he can play the ball in the air is the best I’ve ever seen in my life,” Stroud said.

They’re second with 28 takeaways, 45 sacks and 90 tackles for losses.

“If you get the other team to turn the ball over three times in the game normally the odds of winning go up,” Stingley said. “So, we got four, trying to get five next game. Just keep it going. Keep playing together as a unit.”

And the Texans’ defense is allowing just 5.9 yards per play allowed and are third in sack rate with an 8.7 percent clip.

All highly respectable numbers with a relentless style of play.

Hunter already has 12 sacks, followed by Anderson’s 10.5 sacks.

That tandem leads the NFL with a combined 136 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, which ranks the Texans third in pressure rate at 38.2 percent.

And the Chiefs counter with a strong defense of their own. The Chiefs, led by star defensive tackle Chris “Stone Cold” Jones and cornerback Trent McDuffie, rank fifth in total defense. They’re coming off a five-sack, six-turnover game against the Cleveland Browns.

When Stroud is on the sideline preparing for his next opportunity to test the Chiefs’ defense, he’ll be watching Mahomes closely.

“Just his ability to win, he’s just a winner,” Stroud said. “At the end of the day, finds a way to get it done and makes some of those critical situations happen. He’s somebody who really, really, really knows how to get it done. And it’s really cool just to see how creative he gets.

“I think Andy Reid does a great job using him the right way and putting him in positions to be creative. And their defense holds up a lot as well to give them opportunities to take shots down the field and have all these crazy plays and motions. So, I mean, they play really good complementary football and I think that’s what sets him apart is his ability to win when it counts.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com