After coming off a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs are heading into the Texans matchup without some key offensive line weapons. Patrick Mahomes might have to accept that he’ll be under pressure all night long tonight, as Kansas City has declared two of their starting tackles inactive.

The Chiefs released the list of inactives for tonight’s matchup, and starting tackles Trey Smith and Jawaan Taylor will both be out tonight.

It was pretty much expected. Neither practiced all week, and both carried a doubtful tag into Friday. The Chiefs will also be without corner Kristian Fulton, receiver Jalen Royals, running back Elijah Mitchell, and returner Nikko Remigio.

Andy Reid rarely leans on optimism when a player misses Friday’s session, and he didn’t pretend otherwise.

“I mean, it’s been done before,” Reid said. “Listen, I think it’d be a stretch for them to get there. If the other guys play, they play. We have trust in everybody there.”

Smith is dealing with both low- and high-ankle sprains, injuries he picked up in the Week 12 win over Indianapolis. He couldn’t go on Thanksgiving and still needs more time. Taylor exited the Cowboys matchup with a triceps issue and played just under half the snaps that day. Even with the extended break, the injury didn’t respond enough for him to suit up.

According to the pre-game warmups, Wanya Morris will get the call at left tackle while Jaylon Moore lines up on the right. But you never really know with Andy Reid.

For Mahomes, it’s familiar territory. He was sacked three times in Dallas and has been sacked at least three times in five straight games. With two backup tackles tonight, that trend may not stop. The good news is, he’ll be facing a Texans defense that has its own absences.

DeMeco Ryans declares four defenders inactive

The Texans will be without cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram, defensive end Solomon Byrd, linebacker Jamal Hill, and tackle Jarrett Kingston. And honestly, the inactive list doesn’t fully capture how beat up they are. Houston also lost safety Jaylen Reed and defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. to injured reserve earlier this week.

There’s at least one encouraging note: cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who had been questionable with a foot issue, is officially cleared. With Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. both available, Houston keeps its preferred outside duo intact. That would come in handy against a Kansas City receiving corps built on speed, even if that speed hasn’t always shown up on the stat sheet.

Hill will be the only injured Texan parked on the inactive list tonight. He’ll miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury and will try again next week when the Texans face the Arizona Cardinals.

Even so, this is still the NFL’s top scoring defense, allowing a league-low 16.5 points per game. How that group holds up against a Patrick Mahomes offense at Arrowhead remains the real question. Kansas City may be 6–6, but at home, they’re 5–1. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

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