The Chiefs looked unstoppable. Until they got stopped.
Last week, the Colts dealt the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season. Following that, the Chiefs face the Houston Texans, one of the only offenses as explosive as their own.
You can usually count on Kansas City for around 30 points a game. It was shocking when the Chiefs were held to just 13 points last week. An out-of-sync KC squad and a possibly injured Patrick Mahomes led to one of the worst offensive outings for the team in recent memory.
The Colts hammered at the Chiefs two Achilles’ heels: man coverage and run defense. We can trust that coach Andy Reid and Mahomes can scheme to fix their offensive missteps, but stopping the run has been a real problem. They have been allowing a 100-yard rusher pretty much every week.
Kansas City’s problems seem mostly minor, and before we get carried away, we should mention that a “bad day” for Mahomes is still 321 yards and no interceptions.
Luckily for KC, Houston has been a so-so running team that excels in the passing game. During the games they’ve won convincingly, Deshaun Watson has thrown for a ton of yards. If they are depending on Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde to grind out a win, it isn’t always so pretty.
Part of the reason the Texans have had to put up a lot of points to win is that their defense is fairly average. A secondary that has been a liability continues to improve, but it remains beatable.
These teams are similarly offensive-minded with some defensive liabilities. While Kansas City has the more productive offense under Mahomes’ amazing play, the Texans defense is a little stronger and less prone to giving up big plays.
The edge goes to the Chiefs here if Mahomes is back to form, but this could be a pretty entertaining shootout that comes down to some last-minute heroics.
| HOW TO WATCH CHIEFS VS. TEXANS WITHOUT CABLE | |
| SLING TV | TRY NOW |
| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
| FUBOTV | TRY NOW |
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans
- When: Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1pm ET
- Where: Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
- Streaming: CBS, NFL Sunday Ticket
There are a number of options for watching Chiefs vs. Texans on streaming platforms that carry CBS. However, consult a coverage map to see what game your regional channel will be playing.
If a game is not being carried in your area, the only option might be an NFL Sunday Ticket package.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans live stream: How to watch NFL online
1) Sling TV
- Cost: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire TVs, Android Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Both Sling Blue ($25 per month) or Sling Orange + Blue ($40 per month) include NFL Network and a number of sports channels—like three ESPN channels and NBCSN—and it’s still a nice perk that Sling subscribers can order a la carte packages. Sling TV also offers a special Latino package for bilingual viewers. Sling TV is currently offering a deal where you can subscribe for 40% off the regular price for the first month of your subscription. That means Sling Blue would cost $15, and Sling Orange + Blue would cost $25. (Here’s a complete guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.)
For $10 extra per month, you can get NFL RedZone via the Sling Blue Sports Extra package.
Unfortunately, due to a contract dispute, as of Sept. 26 Sling no longer carries Fox, FS1, and FS2. But there is a workaround…
How to use AirTV with Sling
AirTV solves one of Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “it’s practically magic.”
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels. While select NFL and college football games (on Fox, FS1, and FS2) are no longer on Sling, you can still catch Fox games with AirTV.
2) FuboTV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- FuboTV local channels: Fox, NBC, CBS (check local availability here)
If you’re a big-time sports fan, FuboTV is your best streaming service option. If you love international soccer and you’re a Spanish speaker, FuboTV also offers various add-on packages, including Fubo Latino and Fubo Português. FuboTV’s basic plan showcases nearly 100 channels and includes NFL Network. At $54.99 per month, you’ll also get FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBA TV, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network, BeIn Sports, and CBS Sports Network, along with premium channels like FX/FXX/FXM. The only notable omission for sports fans is ESPN. You can add Fubo’s Sports Plus package for an additional $8.99 per month, which allows you to stream NFL RedZone. (Here’s the complete FuboTV channels list.)
3) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
If you’d like to watch live NFL games directly from your PS4, PlayStation Vue is your best bet. PlayStation also works with streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire products, but what separates PlayStation from the rest of the streaming services is that it’s also compatible with Kodi. No matter how you stream the Chiefs vs. Texans, you’ll get to choose from four tiers of channels—all but the cheapest include NFL Network. From there, you can also add NFL RedZone as part of the $10-per-month Sports Pack, which also unlocks ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Classic, Longhorn Network, Outside TV, and NBCUniversal regional sports networks. You can see the full list of PlayStation Vue channels here. Two other great perks: You can stream on up to five devices at once, and there’s also unlimited cloud DVR.
4) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings with ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
5) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for college football fans, including ESPN and FS1. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
6) NFL Sunday Ticket
Cost: $73.99 per month for four months, or one single payment of $293.96
There are two—and only two—ways of acquiring NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV. There’s NFLSundayTicket.TV, which costs $73.99 per month for four months. It’s everything you love NFL Sunday Ticket but online-only. You can stream from pretty much any device that connects to the internet (but only on one device at a time).
You can also upgrade to the NFLST.TV Max bundle for a total of $99 per month for four months or one single payment of $395.99. You can also add on NFL Game Pass, which allows you to watch replays of every game after they air, for $50 for the full season.
There’s another way to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV: Amazon Prime. While you can’t pay for the package using Amazon Prime, you can at least watch all of the games on the service. To start, first download the NFL Sunday Ticket channel on Amazon Prime. It’s free. From there, you’ll just need to sign in with your subscription credentials to watch the Chiefs vs. Texans.
College students can purchase NFL Sunday Ticket at a discounted price through NFLSundayTicket.TV U.
Fantasy football: Who should I start?
Chiefs
Travis Kelce, Tight End: Patrick Mahomes continues to find new weapons every week. Last week Byron Pringle had 103 yards and a touchdown. But other weeks it has been Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson finding fantasy glory. Kelce and Mahomes remain the only sure things on this squad. For anyone else, be sure to look at all of their production, not just the past week or two.
Texans
DeAndre Hopkins, Wide Receiver: It will be tempting to run and trade for Will Fuller after his 217-yard, three-TD day last week. But if you look at Texans box scores week-to-week, Hopkins is still the only surefire starter among Houston skill players.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans: Why it matters
These are the two best offenses in the AFC, and both of these teams would like a bye come playoff time. Though both teams are favorites to win their respective divisions, losses in big games like this matter for post-season placement.
The Texans can have their off weeks, but they can hang with any team in the league, as they proved with their 53-point performance against Atlanta. Kansas City seems to find a way to win almost every week under Mahomes, though, and it’s tempting to see the Colts game as a fluke.
Kansas City will look to get back on track here in a shootout. Don’t be surprised if both teams put up 40 points here. But no matter how many touchdowns go on the board, expect the Chiefs to keep a narrow edge.
READ MORE:
- How to watch NFL RedZone without cable
- How to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without a DirecTV satellite
- How to watch NFL Network online (without cable)
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