Patrick Mahomes was already shot down when he got folded like an omelet in the duel against the Cleveland Browns in the week 15 game. The Kansas City Chiefs suffered the blow at a very bad time. If they lose one more game, their 3-peat dreams might be over. However, to add insult to the injury, Mahomes’s next rival, the Texans DT, is not planning to go easy on him.

Tim Settle Jr. addressed the 3x Super Bowl champion’s injury and warned him to not take the Texans’ defense lightly. Where the world sees a budding KC time trying to make history, the Texans DT is eyeing opportunities to dismantle their offense, and it starts with the O-Line.

“I definitely see this O-line, it definitely has its leap holes, and it definitely has its struggles. But I feel like we can take advantage of that,” Settle Jr. said when addressing the media. But he’s not just making it up. The Texans’ defense ranks third in sacks and turnovers, and they will let their presence known at the Arrowhead Stadium.

“We’ve got an elite D-line. I feel like Pat’s a little banged up, so I don’t know if he’s going to play or not. I hope he’s mobile enough, because we’re coming in Arrowhead. You guys planning to get after that? Yeah, for sure. Pat better make a good decision. I ain’t making no threats. I’m making promises. I got you. You guys did such a great job,” the DT added further.

Addressing the Texans’ defense, they rank fourth in total defense, per FOX. Entering into week 16, the Houston team has given away 302.4 yards in a game on average, allowing 34 touchdowns this season. However, a closer look at DE Danielle Hunter further substantiates Settle Jr.’s claims.

NFL Next Gen Stats did an evaluation on rush win rates and Danielle Hunter came out on top. “Our pass rush win rate metric tells us how often a pass rusher is able to beat his block within 2.5 seconds. Likewise, our pass block win rate metric conveys the rate linemen can sustain their blocks for 2.5 seconds or longer,” ESPN says.

Danielle Hunter has 71 wins in 258 plays with a pass rush win rate of 28% and an edge pass rush win rate of 17%. Will Anderson Jr. is also on the list, having won in 42 of 192 plays. He found success in 22% of pass rush plays and 16% of edge rush plays. Now if you pit them against the Kansas City Chiefs O-Line, things might get chaotic.

Consider the game against the Las Vegas Raiders where Mahomes got sacked 5 times. Andy Reid had to bench Wanya Morris to give more playtime to Joe Thuney and Mike Caliendo. At that point in time, benching Morris was “the right thing to do.” About three weeks ago, The Chiefs signed DJ Humphries to fix the O-Line struggles. And they are set to start him against the Texans at home.

Now that the linemen conversation is out of the way, let’s talk about Mahomes’s injury. The 21-7 victory at Cleveland was far from sweet for the KC boys. Mahomes took a high ankle sprain in the last quarter and suddenly, the Chiefs 3-peat dreams felt unachievable. However, that gave Carson Wentz a chance to control the Chiefs’ offense though for a short period of time.

Anyways, Mahomes has returned to practice along with Hollywood Brown. So we might see some action at Arrowhead. “I’m not going to put our team in a bad position. If I feel like I can play and go out there and win a football game, I’ll play,” Mahomes said. If that decision turns out to be a dud, the Chiefs still have Carson Wentz as a placeholder. However, as of now, Wentz is the favorite for that spot.

While this injury has caused a lot of drama in the NFL as of late, the Texans are quietly creeping from behind after clinching the division. Check out what he said about this aim.

CJ Stroud might be a legit threat to Patrick Mahomes

While the sophomore QB is proceeding with a gleam in his eye, it’s crucial to note that he’s taken 45 sacks in the 14 games they’ve played this season. Anyways, Stroud sees a bright future as he takes his team to the GEHA Field. The QB’s performance this season is nothing compared to what he did last year. He threw only 5 picks in the last season. This season isn’t even over yet and Stroud has thrown 9 picks already. Also, he took 38 sacks in the 15 games he played in 2023, but this year, that number has gone up to 45. But the Texans’ QB is not worried about the past.

“C.J. Yeah, I think we’re at where we’re at. I think we worked really hard to get to this point. You know, one thing that I’m learning is not to dwell on the past and to – of course we wish that we won some closer games that we were in, but at the same time, those are the adversities that will take us over the hump,” Stroud mentioned.

Christmas came early for Stroud and his Texans since they clinched the division so early this year. But if by any chance the Texans lose, Stroud won’t waste any time to get back to his hustle. “I feel like today we took another step. To play for the division this early in December is kind of cool, and not have to wait until the very back end. Yeah, man, of course we want to win the division today, but if not, we go back next week and chop some more wood and carry some more water.”

CJ Stroud and the boys will be arriving at GEHA Field and all the mystery about Patrick Mahomes would be uncovered soon.