Live updates from Texans vs. Chiefs in Week 1

FINAL — Chiefs 34, Texans 20

Clyde Edwards-Helaire stuffed at the goal-line again, Chiefs kick FG

The over hits on that Harrison Butker field goal!

Texans can’t convert onside kick

The Chiefs are now at the Houston 3-yard line. It’s 2nd and 2 at the 2-minute warning. The under is on the line!

Chiefs 31, Texans 20

DeShaun Watson 1-yard TD run

Can they do it? Texans down 11 with 2:38 left in the game.

Chiefs 31, Texans 13

Jordan Akins TOUCHDOWN from 19 yards out

Akins had a great camp and now in year three appears primed for production. He likely won more targets with a strong showing on the two he saw tonight.

Two-point conversion failed.

Will Fuller up to 7 receptions for 81 yards

Chiefs 31, Texans 7

11:25 left in the game. Texans will need a miracle at this point.

Tyreek Hill TOUCHDOWN on 3-yard pass from Mahomes

Texans front stops Edwards-Helaire on first and second and goal, but Mahomes and Hill get in on third down to give the Chiefs a commanding lead at 31-7.

We’ve got a light rain and Andy Reid’s mask needs some rain-x and windshield wipers.

DeShaun Watson picked off by rookie L’Jarius Sneed

Sneed returns the ball 39 yards to the Texans 17-yard line. Watson is still getting pressure despite retaining all five of their starting offensive line from last season.

David Johnson is back in the game.

Johnson did have his wrist looked at, but he is back.

Duke Johnson is questionable to return with a leg injury

David Johnson getting looked at on the sideline

Al Michaels mentioned on the broadcast that Johnson was getting his wrist or arm looked at on the sidelines. Duke Johnson took over for David.

Chiefs 24 - Texans 7

5:01 left in the third-quarter

Clyde Edwards-Helaire TOUCHDOWN on 27-yard run

CEH goes over 100 yards and scores a touchdown all on the ground! We know he’s a great pass-catcher and that part of his game is still to come. I think they’ve found their running back of the future and present.

Halftime: Chiefs 17, Texans 7

Halftime Stats

Texans:

Watson: 9/16, 104 yards
David Johnson: 6 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD — 2 rec, 3 targets, 20 yard
Duke Johnson: 2 carries, 9 yards
Fuller: 2/25 - 4 targets
Cooks: 2/20 - 4 targets
Akins: 1/20 - 1 target
Fells: 2/19 - 2 targets

Stills and Cobb no targets

Chiefs:

Mahomes: 16/21, 133 yards, 2 TDs
CEH: 10 carries, 64 yards, no targets
Williams: 4 carries, 16 yards — 1 rec, 6 yards
Watkins: 5//51/1
Kelce: 6/50/1 — 6 targets
Robinson: 2/13 - 5 targets
Hill: 1/7 — 2 targets
Hardman: 1/6 — 1 target

Snap Counts

Harrison Butker hits 29-yard field goal before half

Chiefs move ball into field goal range after Texans miss long field goal.

Fairbairn 51 yard field goal is No Good

TE Jordan Akins 20 yard reception

Akins makes a sweet move to gain extra yards:

Chiefs 14, Texans 7

16-play, 91 yard drive that took 9:04 off the clock. 2:26 until half.

Chiefs stat leaders:

Mahomes 14/18, 105 yards, 2 TDs
CEH 10 rushes for 64 yards
Sammy Watkins 5/34/1
Travis Kelce 5/29/1

Watkins TD!

For all you Watkins fantasy backers, you get a nice reprieve!

Watkins TD was overturned.

Sammy Watkins TOUCHDOWN reception for 10 yards from Mahomes.

Chiefs go 91 yards with a huge chunk on the ground with Edwards-Helaire leading the way to take the lead.

Edwards-Helaire doing work.

Multiple strong runs for the rookie, including a snap on third-down over Darrel Williams.

The two highest paid players in the league share a quick rest

Chiefs 7, Texans 7

14:17 left in the second quarter

Travis Kelce TOUCHDOWN on six-yard reception from Mahomes.

Kelce had three touchdown catches against this Texans team in the playoffs last season.

Demarcus Robinson has missed two touchdowns.

A drop on this drive and a strong defensive play kept him from holding onto his first touchdown.

End of first quarter — Texans 7, Chiefs 0

The Texans lead after a strong drive where they mixed the run and pass well. The usage of Duke Johnson while David Johnson was also on the field was good to see, but even more encouraging was how well David Johnson ran. Of course, the Chiefs run defense has not been good.

Chiefs are in the red zone as we head to the 2nd quarter.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire 21-yard run

CEH has his best run of the night. Should help get him going.

Chiefs going for it on 4th and inches

Fullback Anthony Sherman gets the first down to keep the drive going.

Texans 7 - Chiefs 0

5:01 left in the first quarter

David Johnson Touchdown, 19-yard run

Houston moving the ball

David and Duke Johnson are both getting work while Brandin Cooks is making plays despite his unclear status due to a quad injury.

Chiefs RB usage

Darrel Williams appears to be the third-down back while Edwards-Helaire is the early down back. This is most likely due to Williams being trusted as a pass protecter.

TOUCHDOWN Demarcus Robinson, 37-yard reception

This will be reviewed. Overturned. No catch.

Chiefs first drive

Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire gets two short gains, but backup Darrel Williams catches a five-yard first down. Will be interesting to see how those two are used tonight.

Texans first drive

David Johnson gains five yards on the first play from scrimmage, but a Will Fuller drop and a false start help the Texans to a three and out.

Football is back!

It was touch and go there for a while, but football is here!

Closing Point Spread and Total

Texans: +9.5, +335
Chiefs: -9.5, -400
Total: 53.5

Inactives

Texans inactives: WR Keke Coutee, CB Cornell Armstrong, FB Cullen Gillaspia, ILB Dylan Cole, OLB Jonathan Greenard, OT Charlie Heck

Brandin Cooks is ACTIVE. Reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted that Cooks is not 100 percent and the team managed his workload during training camp. This is a solid matchup, but the big concerns are limited workload and an aggravation of the injury.

Chiefs inactives: OL Yasir Durant, DE Demone Harris, TE Ricky Seals-Jones, DE Taco Charlton, CB BoPete Keyes

Attendance

Arrowhead Stadium will allow 17,000 fans tonight, which won’t be the lowest attendance in Chiefs’ history.

Chiefs arrivals

The team is arriving in style, with wide receiver Mecole Hardman sporting PJs and a teddy bear. Chiefs by 100!

Game day injury report update 5:46 p.m.

Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks was declared questionable for Thursday’s game due to a quadricep injury. He was limited on Monday, did not practice on Tuesday, and was limited on Wednesday. Reports are that he is feeling good and has a good chance of playing, but he’ll test out the quad in pre-game workouts. The Texans have to decide on inactives by 6:50 p.m. ET.

The defending world champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans for the season opener of the 2020 season. This game is a rematch of the divisional round playoff game in which the Chiefs got down 24-0 early, but won 51-31 going away.

The Chiefs will be without running back Damien Williams, who opted out of the season, but they will have first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his place. The Texans no longer have their star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after trading him to Arizona for running back David Johnson, while also adding receivers Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks to help replace Hopkins.

The Chiefs kept their core team together in hopes of starting a run of Super Bowl appearances while the Texans remain a good, but incomplete team that will need to improve to be a consistent force this season. This game showcases two of the best quarterbacks in the league with Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, and should be a fun, offensive showcase for the two young QBs.

TV Info

Date: Thursday, September 10
Time: 8:20 EST
Channel: NBC
Live stream: NBC Sports

Broadcast region: National

Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)

Texans (2019): 26th vs. Pass, 22nd vs. Rush
Chiefs (2019): 6th vs. Pass, 29th vs. Rush

DraftKings Sportsbook odds

Texans: +9, +330
Chiefs: -9, -420
Total: 54.5

Pick: Chiefs -9

Kansas City comes into this game having kept their 2019 Super Bowl team together, with the addition of rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire at running back. The Texans on the other hand, lost all world receiver DeAndre Hopkins. In an offseason plagued by a plague, the team with the most continuity from the previous year should have the clear advantage early in the season. Add in the Texans weak overall defense and a Chiefs offense that put up 51 points on the Texans last year in the playoffs, and you’ve got the makings of a decisive win.

Injury report

Texans

Monday

Limited: WR Brandin Cooks (quadricep), CB Phillip Gaines (hamstring), RB Cullen Gillaspia (hamstring), LB Jonathan Greenard (ankle), CB Lonnie Johnson (hip)

Tuesday

DNP: WR Brandin Cooks (quadricep), DE J.J. Watt (not injury related)

Limited: RB Cullen Gillaspia (hamstring), LB Jonathan Greenard (ankle)

Full: CB Phillip Gaines (hamstring), CB Lonnie Johnson (hip)

Wednesday

Questionable: WR Brandin Cooks (quadricep — limited), RB Cullen Gillaspia (hamstring — limited), LB Jonathan Greenard (ankle — limited)

Chiefs

Monday

Limited: TE Travis Kelce (knee), DT Derrick Nnadi (ankle)

Full: DE Alex Okafor (calf), S Juan Thornhill (knee), RB Darrel Williams (hamstring), TE Deon Yelder (groin)

Tuesday

Full: TE Travis Kelce (knee), DT Derrick Nnadi (ankle), DE Alex Okafor (calf), S Juan Thornhill (knee), RB Darrel Williams (hamstring), TE Deon Yelder (groin)

Wednesday

None listed — all full participants

Fantasy football start/sit advice

Texans

Randall Cobb, Wide receiver ($6,300/$4,200)

DeShaun Watson has had two huge fantasy games against the Chiefs and one down game so far in his career. He’ll be without DeAndre Hopkins, but did add Brandin Cooks, David Johnson and Cobb to the equation. I prefer Mahomes to Watson, but that’s just because it is Mahomes. Watson should also be able to move the ball and I like his chances underneath to Cobb better than his chances for deep shots to Will Fuller. In redraft, Fuller is a must start, but in DFS, Cobb comes at a nice discount and he could be a big part of the offense in this game.

Jordan Akins, Tight end ($4,800/$3,200)

Akins is a risky play to be sure, but he’s been getting good reviews in camp and the Texans are looking for a lead tight end. He’s cheap in DFS, and worth a flier in Showdown games while he’s more of a bench add for now in redraft.

Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback ($18,900/$12,600)

Yes, you’re starting him no matter what, but just to get you a little more excited, Mahomes has faced the Texans twice, averaging nearly 300 yards and four touchdown passes. Houston’s defense should remain one to target as well. You’ll have to pay up for him in DFS, but you can’t get much safer.

Darrel Williams, Running back ($2,700/$1,800)

The backup job to Clyde Edwards-Helaire appears to be Williams’ for the moment. The question early is, will Edwards-Helaire get the bulk of touches in Week 1, or will Williams be more involved while the rookie gets his feet wet? It’s impossible to know at the moment, but Williams has GPP upside at his price in DFS.