Make no mistake about it, the Texans have their biggest challenge of the season this Saturday in KC, trying to keep the Chiefs from moving on and possibly winning their third straight championship.

And the level of difficulty goes much further than just a fierce opponent. The Chiefs are fully rested, and the Texans will be short-handed again on offense.

After releasing disgruntled receiver Diontae Johnson and tight end Cade Stover heading to IR, Houston will need someone outside of Nico Collins to make an impact in the passing game. Joe Mixon is a prime candidate to catch some passes this week, but he missed practice on Thursday (ankle) so that will be something to watch.

Not to mention, Robert Woods has missed practice time this week with a hip injury. Which means outside of Collins, the Texans will have to lean on John Metchie III, Dalton Schultz, and Xavier Hutchinson to move the ball through the air.

As opposed to the Chiefs who have a full complement of weapons with Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, and burner Xavier Worthy, with Patrick Mahomes pulling the trigger. Oh yeah, they also have Andy Reid calling the plays.

It certainly appears the Chiefs have the edge of offense, but the Texans defense has gotten healthy at the right time. Especially on the defensive line that gave Justin Herbert fits in the Wild Card round.

X-factors

Tank Dell was Stroud's most effective target against the Chiefs in December, recording over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown. Collins was held to just 60 yards on 7 catches. If that happens this time around, that could spell trouble for Houston. Metchie is now the Texans No. 2 receiver because of injuries, and he got off to a terrible start last week, fumbling on the first offensive play of the game. He's done a decent job of getting open this year, but he's struggled to hold on to the football. The moment can't get too big for him this week. Also, Texans OC Bobby Slowik has to do a better job of calling plays that will keep the team out of third and long situations. Something that has plagued the team all season.

On defense, limiting Mahomes' ability to create big plays with his legs will be key. He escaped through the B gap several times in his last matchup with DeMeco Ryans' defense. Those runs led to first downs and KC's first touchdown of the game.

What does Vegas think?

The Chiefs are favored by 9, and the total is set at 41.5 points.

We have so much more to get to! Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview and predictions for the big game.