December 2, 2025 • 6 mins
Following last night's MNF battle between the Broncos and the Commanders, we now move on to enter Week 14 in the NFL. Looking at this week's schedule, the Texans are set to travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for a Sunday night showdown. Rolling on a bit of a high following Houston's recent weeks, Dan and Cole take a moment to hash out a few scenarios that could pan out in favor of the Texans and the rest of the American Conference. Having been to seven consecutive AFC Championships, the guys pose the question: can the Texans dethrone the AFC's top competitor?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kansas City Indianapolis two or three must wins, so you
get one mulligan. If you blow it on this one,
you have to go unefeeded the rest of the way.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I mean. And that's the thing is you're probably looking at.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
You know, we've done this with stretches this season, Like
the four game stretch you had where you had Seattle,
San Francisco, Denver, and Jacksonville in there. You were like
three and one really puts you in position for a
playoff spot. You went two and two, so it was like, Okay,
at the very worst, you can go two and two,
and they did that. But you know for this one,
(00:32):
I mean, you're one hundred percent right. And that's where
one of those where you could still go four and
one in that stretch, But you get this one.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
That's massive me.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
If you get this one again. It goes back to
two main elements. Number One, you have the head to
head over Kansas City. You both finished ten and seven.
They're putting you in. They're leaving Kansas City out because
you won the game headhead. Number Two, it keeps you
in pace over Indianapolis. And here's the other thing, Dan Auto,
if you know this what Indianapolis do in the fourth quarter.
(01:00):
Two weeks ago, they came back and they beat the
Indianapolis Colts. So what if you're tied with the Colts
and you have a two to zero lead over them, Well,
automatically you would have the head to head in that standpoint.
But let's say you're one in one. They start looking
at common opponents. Lost to Kansas City, win over Kansas City.
Now you're hosting a playoff game and Indianapolis is coming
to you in the first round, and you already feel
(01:22):
confident about beating them. So, in my opinion, the reason
why this one's so massive is it dictates seating. It
dictates do you have an opportunity to have the same
record as Indianapolis and Jacksonville because Jacksonville also beat up.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
On Kansas City.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So you need to have every reason possible to gain
as much traction over everyone else to put yourself in
a position to where you know, end of the day,
you did your job. They're putting you in the playoff
number one. Number two, they're giving you an opportunity to
win the division.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, I mean the opportunity to win the division is
first and foremost, and you know I know people now
just getting the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, no, win the division.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You win the division, you guarantee year in the playoffs,
and you guarantee that you're playing at home no matter
what in the first round.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Can we stop also with that mentality of well, let's
just get in the playoffs. No, you settle for getting
in the playoffs, like if you have to find a
way to be a wildcard team. All right, you're in
the playoffs three straight years with Demika Rance. Your goal
should be to win the division, nothing else. Because let
me make it clear going into the season, we talked
about this all the time. Niapolis, where are they supposed
(02:25):
to be?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Jacksonville? What are they supposed to be? Tessee, what are
they supposed to be?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Even with all the questions that you had with the
offensive line, with the revamped of wide receivers, with a
new play caller, everyone said the Stevens was going to
be so elite that you were going to win the division.
Nobody questioned the Texans in the AFC South. And now
you're playing a wildcard round. You failed to meet your
preseason expectations, and people all the time will go ahead
and say, well, expectations changed throughout the year. Now, when
(02:52):
you're in a division where you have owned Jacksonville, Tennessee
in Indianapolis the last two years.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I mean it's been nice and uh the tech and
hoping they can make it three straight years of owning
the AFC South. And you know, we had Adam Lexler
on with us yesterday and he brought that up about
you know, the matchups that you're going to have here
in the next few weeks between the Jags and the
Colts and saying that if there's a split Texans or
your division champs.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, because if you would have the head to head,
you have common opponent wins, did the higher strength of
schedule and those things all factor on it. So it's
a reasonablieve that you should feel very confident about winning
this division now.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But do you want to leave it up to chance
or you just want to go ahead and take it well?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
And that's the thing is you want to take away
as many variables as possible in a way that you
can take away. Another variable is a you knock the
Chiefs out of the playoffs, or at least you make
it very hard for them to get into the playoffs,
because I mean, this is a team that I think
kind of, you know, the comparisons all the time made
between them and the Astros, where the Astros thought is, Hey,
get us in there and we can make things happen
(03:54):
because that's our time of the year. We know how
to win this time of the year. I think the
Chiefs kind of look at it the same way.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Do you think for one second that if Kansas City
is in the playoffs they're not going to make a
run to the AFC title game?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Do I think that they won't. Yeah, they won't. No,
I don't believe they will. I think they will.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I think if they're in the playoffs in general, they're
going to make a run because of It's just it's veteranship.
And we talked about experience when we're mentioning what you
got in Denver, and we're talking about it when it
comes to New England, nobody has it better than Patrick Mahomes. Dude,
he's yet to miss an AFC championship game in his
entire career. We're talking about a team that is on
the verge of missing the playoffs for a guy who
(04:32):
has never missed the final game of the AFC regular
the AFC season.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And they have a pretty confident coach too, I mean
saying interesting things.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Why is he why is he coming up with these analogies? Man,
where do you come up with this stuff?
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I don't know, but we will definitely have that for
you a little bit later on in the show. Because
one thing in particular that he said in his proclamation
for the Chiefs still being alive in this it was interesting.
I mean, it's it's something that you know, I was
on that that mindset about of go ahead and knock
them out and that way you don't have to worry about.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Them and everyone and then AFC will love you also
for knocking them out because that opens up it opens
up fair game, because to be fair, Let's be real, dude,
it's everyone's Kryptonite's not just Houston's. It's Buffalo's, it's Baltimore's,
it's Pittsburgh's, it's Denvers, it's Los Angeles', it's it's Jacksonville's,
it's Indies. You kill the Chiefs, you're the reason that
(05:29):
they're sitting at home in the playoffs. People are gonna
be thanking you. People are gonna be saying thank you, hey,
ce j Stroud, Demigo Ryans, come take this one from us.
It's okay, guys, hey, you knocked off, can't say this
year we'll bend the need of you.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
We're good with that.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, we'll see if the Texans are able to oblige
people out there in terms of having the Chiefs out
of this one, because I do think there is a
little bit of Chiefs fatigue, Like I think that it's
very much kind of like the years with the Patriots. Oh,
the Patriots again, awesome, great, yeah, fun And then finally
Denver knocked him out and that was pretty much the
(06:03):
last time that we had ever really heard from from
New England. We actually, no, not true, because in the
following year they won the Super Bowl, wasn't it or
was it two years later?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
It was something like that.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Two years later, and then we saw Tennessee pickoff Tom
Brady in his very last game, and then we saw
mac Jones come on in Mac Jones Mulla got crushed
by Buffalo, and then that was the end of the Patriots.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Then, yeah, that was that was it all All of
a sudden, Bill Belichick, the mystique of Bill Belichick was
no longer.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Is the mystique going to still be? In Chapel Hill
next year. I'm begging it for the saying sanctity of
college football.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Please don't.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
We shall see, all right, let's continue with the Texans
Conversation SEVENE three two one two five, seven ninety because
the Texans have been incredibly fortunate in this fashion this season.
We'll discuss right here as we are continuing on a
frigid Tuesday here on the Morning Drive with Danny Coles
Sports Talk seven ninety
Kansas City Indianapolis two or three must wins, so you
get one mulligan. If you blow it on this one,
you have to go unefeeded the rest of the way.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I mean. And that's the thing is you're probably looking at.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
You know, we've done this with stretches this season, Like
the four game stretch you had where you had Seattle,
San Francisco, Denver, and Jacksonville in there. You were like
three and one really puts you in position for a
playoff spot. You went two and two, so it was like, Okay,
at the very worst, you can go two and two,
and they did that. But you know for this one,
(00:32):
I mean, you're one hundred percent right. And that's where
one of those where you could still go four and
one in that stretch, But you get this one.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
That's massive me.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
If you get this one again. It goes back to
two main elements. Number One, you have the head to
head over Kansas City. You both finished ten and seven.
They're putting you in. They're leaving Kansas City out because
you won the game headhead. Number Two, it keeps you
in pace over Indianapolis. And here's the other thing, Dan Auto,
if you know this what Indianapolis do in the fourth quarter.
(01:00):
Two weeks ago, they came back and they beat the
Indianapolis Colts. So what if you're tied with the Colts
and you have a two to zero lead over them, Well,
automatically you would have the head to head in that standpoint.
But let's say you're one in one. They start looking
at common opponents. Lost to Kansas City, win over Kansas City.
Now you're hosting a playoff game and Indianapolis is coming
to you in the first round, and you already feel
(01:22):
confident about beating them. So, in my opinion, the reason
why this one's so massive is it dictates seating. It
dictates do you have an opportunity to have the same
record as Indianapolis and Jacksonville because Jacksonville also beat up.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
On Kansas City.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So you need to have every reason possible to gain
as much traction over everyone else to put yourself in
a position to where you know, end of the day,
you did your job. They're putting you in the playoff
number one. Number two, they're giving you an opportunity to
win the division.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, I mean the opportunity to win the division is
first and foremost, and you know I know people now
just getting the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, no, win the division.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You win the division, you guarantee year in the playoffs,
and you guarantee that you're playing at home no matter
what in the first round.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Can we stop also with that mentality of well, let's
just get in the playoffs. No, you settle for getting
in the playoffs, like if you have to find a
way to be a wildcard team. All right, you're in
the playoffs three straight years with Demika Rance. Your goal
should be to win the division, nothing else. Because let
me make it clear going into the season, we talked
about this all the time. Niapolis, where are they supposed
(02:25):
to be?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Jacksonville? What are they supposed to be? Tessee, what are
they supposed to be?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Even with all the questions that you had with the
offensive line, with the revamped of wide receivers, with a
new play caller, everyone said the Stevens was going to
be so elite that you were going to win the division.
Nobody questioned the Texans in the AFC South. And now
you're playing a wildcard round. You failed to meet your
preseason expectations, and people all the time will go ahead
and say, well, expectations changed throughout the year. Now, when
(02:52):
you're in a division where you have owned Jacksonville, Tennessee
in Indianapolis the last two years.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I mean it's been nice and uh the tech and
hoping they can make it three straight years of owning
the AFC South. And you know, we had Adam Lexler
on with us yesterday and he brought that up about
you know, the matchups that you're going to have here
in the next few weeks between the Jags and the
Colts and saying that if there's a split Texans or
your division champs.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, because if you would have the head to head,
you have common opponent wins, did the higher strength of
schedule and those things all factor on it. So it's
a reasonablieve that you should feel very confident about winning
this division now.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
But do you want to leave it up to chance
or you just want to go ahead and take it well?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
And that's the thing is you want to take away
as many variables as possible in a way that you
can take away. Another variable is a you knock the
Chiefs out of the playoffs, or at least you make
it very hard for them to get into the playoffs,
because I mean, this is a team that I think
kind of, you know, the comparisons all the time made
between them and the Astros, where the Astros thought is, Hey,
get us in there and we can make things happen
(03:54):
because that's our time of the year. We know how
to win this time of the year. I think the
Chiefs kind of look at it the same way.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Do you think for one second that if Kansas City
is in the playoffs they're not going to make a
run to the AFC title game?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Do I think that they won't. Yeah, they won't. No,
I don't believe they will. I think they will.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I think if they're in the playoffs in general, they're
going to make a run because of It's just it's veteranship.
And we talked about experience when we're mentioning what you
got in Denver, and we're talking about it when it
comes to New England, nobody has it better than Patrick Mahomes. Dude,
he's yet to miss an AFC championship game in his
entire career. We're talking about a team that is on
the verge of missing the playoffs for a guy who
(04:32):
has never missed the final game of the AFC regular
the AFC season.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And they have a pretty confident coach too, I mean
saying interesting things.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Why is he why is he coming up with these analogies? Man,
where do you come up with this stuff?
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I don't know, but we will definitely have that for
you a little bit later on in the show. Because
one thing in particular that he said in his proclamation
for the Chiefs still being alive in this it was interesting.
I mean, it's it's something that you know, I was
on that that mindset about of go ahead and knock
them out and that way you don't have to worry about.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Them and everyone and then AFC will love you also
for knocking them out because that opens up it opens
up fair game, because to be fair, Let's be real, dude,
it's everyone's Kryptonite's not just Houston's. It's Buffalo's, it's Baltimore's,
it's Pittsburgh's, it's Denvers, it's Los Angeles', it's it's Jacksonville's,
it's Indies. You kill the Chiefs, you're the reason that
(05:29):
they're sitting at home in the playoffs. People are gonna
be thanking you. People are gonna be saying thank you, hey,
ce j Stroud, Demigo Ryans, come take this one from us.
It's okay, guys, hey, you knocked off, can't say this
year we'll bend the need of you.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
We're good with that.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, we'll see if the Texans are able to oblige
people out there in terms of having the Chiefs out
of this one, because I do think there is a
little bit of Chiefs fatigue, Like I think that it's
very much kind of like the years with the Patriots. Oh,
the Patriots again, awesome, great, yeah, fun And then finally
Denver knocked him out and that was pretty much the
(06:03):
last time that we had ever really heard from from
New England. We actually, no, not true, because in the
following year they won the Super Bowl, wasn't it or
was it two years later?
Speaker 2 (06:12):
It was something like that.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Two years later, and then we saw Tennessee pickoff Tom
Brady in his very last game, and then we saw
mac Jones come on in Mac Jones Mulla got crushed
by Buffalo, and then that was the end of the Patriots.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Then, yeah, that was that was it all All of
a sudden, Bill Belichick, the mystique of Bill Belichick was
no longer.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Is the mystique going to still be? In Chapel Hill
next year. I'm begging it for the saying sanctity of
college football.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Please don't.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
We shall see, all right, let's continue with the Texans
Conversation SEVENE three two one two five, seven ninety because
the Texans have been incredibly fortunate in this fashion this season.
We'll discuss right here as we are continuing on a
frigid Tuesday here on the Morning Drive with Danny Coles
Sports Talk seven ninety
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