Welcome to In The Know, a brief weekly post regarding who I think is going to win my chosen ‘Game of the Week’ and why in this second week of the NFL playoffs. There will also be further discussion on the three other games in the Divisional Round - essentially the ´Super Bowl quarter-finals’ for playoff newbies - in the ‘TBP Big Three’, as well as a selected NBA game from the upcoming week.

The British Playbook Game of the Week

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs

For me, this matchup is like a dream. I adore Deshaun Watson and truly believe he is destined for greatness, whilst Patrick Mahomes is - in my humble opinion - undeniably the best pure quarterback in the world right now. Lamar Jackson of Baltimore is insane, obviously, but nobody can sling it like Mahomes. These two teams, armed with their stud quarterbacks, met back in October at Arrowhead with Watson taking it 31-24. However, Mahomes was banged up in that game - how will the match play out with both signal-callers fully fit?

This is the most exciting rematch of the year, showcasing what could easily become the quarterback rivalry that defines the NFL - or the AFC at least. Watson and Mahomes, both 24 years of age, were selected in the first half of the 2017 NFL Draft, with only Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky being selected before these two in terms of the position. You really hate to see it, Bears fans. In the clash between the Texans and Chiefs back in October, Watson threw for 280 yards with a 71% completion rate as well as a touchdown and two interceptions as he led Houston to an unlikely win. In the same game, the defeated and injured Mahomes threw for 273 yards with a completion rate of just 54% but still found the endzone three times - and was intercepted. This fairly underwhelming Mahomes performance feels like an outlier, and I expect a much better outing on Sunday.