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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Graham Searles

NFL divisional round playoff predictions: how do you beat the No 1 seeds?

Patrick Mahomes returns to action for the Chiefs after his team’s bye last week.
Patrick Mahomes returns to action for the Chiefs after his team’s bye last week. Photograph: Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (Saturday 4.30pm EST/9.30pm GMT)

What the Texans need to do to win: CJ Stroud needs to continue his upward trajectory. After turning what would have been an ugly fumble deep in his own half into the beginning of a run of 23 unanswered points against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, Houston’s quarterback seemed to shake off his winter blues at the very moment he found Xavier Hutchinson wide open downfield. Stroud needs to trust his instincts in order to compensate for a subpar offensive line, though more importantly he has to have faith in Nico Collins. The receiver will be under blanket coverage from Trent McDuffie and Justin Reid, owing to a lack of any other significant Texans threat downfield, but his remarkable knack of making catches in heavy traffic will be crucial if his team are to keep pace with the Chiefs. Oh, and in games that Collins has 150 or more receiving yards the Texans are 4-0 so just keep it flowing in his direction. Easy.

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