Rookie running back Woody Marks (ankle) and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (chest/shoulder) returned to Texans’ practice as limited participants.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said earlier this week that he expects Marks, Anders and cornerback Kamari Lassiter (foot) to play this week. But Lassiter remained a non-participant on Thursday.
Marks played 41 of 76 snaps but rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries. Anderson missed one practice last week with his injuries before playing 34 of 54 snaps against the Colts.
Linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) and safety Jaylen Reed (forearm) again were out of practice.
Right tackle Trent Brown (hand) and defensive end Denico Autry (knee) were upgraded to limited participation.
Middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) had a full practice after limited participation on Wednesday.
With their season on the brink at 6-6, the Chiefs will face the surging Texans on Sunday night.
Houston’s defense has been excellent in the club’s last two games, holding Buffalo to just 19 points in Week 12 and Indianapolis to 16 points in Week 13. The Texans enter Week 14 No. 1 in points allowed and yards allowed, also having sacked Buffalo’s Josh Allen eight times in the Thursday night victory.
Houston’s vaunted pass rush could be a significant issue for Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as the Chiefs could be without their two starting tackles plus a starting guard. Left tackle Josh Simmons was placed on IR after undergoing surgery to repair his dislocated wrist, right tackle Jawaan Taylor is dealing with triceps and knee issues, and right guard Trey Smith has an ankle injury.
Head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that if Taylor cannot play, Jaylon Moore would slot in at right tackle, while Wanya Morris would play on the left.
How much confidence does Mahomes have in the backup linemen?
“The guys have played,” Mahomes said in his Wednesday press conference, via transcript from the team. “Obviously, we’ll go through the week and see where we’re at the with guys that are a little banged up, but you have got to give respect to where it’s deserved, and those guys have a great defensive line.
“We’ll try to do the best we can, as getting the ball out of my hand, running the football, and then whenever there’s shots down the field, you have to be able to hit them. Standing in the pocket and making those throws against a really good defense.”
Mahomes added that Kansas City’s offense has to match Houston’s defensive intensity.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, D-line’s good, linebackers [are] good, and the DBs [are] good. I think what makes them who they are is how hard they play. Every single snap, they’re flying around. They’re trying to make plays happen, they’re trying to intercept the football, or trying to knock the football out, they’re trying to make big hits.
“We got to match that intensity as an offense, as a team in order to go out there and get a win.”
With 348 rushing yards in 12 games, Mahomes is trending toward setting a new career-high in the category. He’s expecting to use his legs and everything else available to him to try and get Kansas City’s seventh win of the season.
“This is a really good football team that’s playing really good football right now and has a really good defense,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to have to throw it all out there and find a way to win. This will be a big game for us to showcase who we are and who we think we can be moving on the rest of the season.”
Sometimes, the schedule set in May results in a late-season clunker or two. Sometimes, the NFL nails it.
For Week 14, the schedule couldn’t get much better.
Here’s the key. Each of the five windows for the weekend has a game with very high stakes.
It begins tonight, with the surprisingly surging 6-5-1 Cowboys facing the suddenly slumping 7-5 Lions. Both desperately need a win to remain viable in the chase for their respective division titles, or for one of the three NFC wild-cards. The loser won’t be eliminated, but it will get dicey. For the Lions, 11-6 should be good enough. For the Cowboys, however, a loss would make their best possible record 10-6-1. Anyone with an 11-6 record (obviously) would jump them, without the application of a single tiebreaker.
On Sunday, the 1:00 p.m. ET window has three must-watch games. The 6-6 Steelers visit the 6-6 Ravens for first place in the AFC North. (They play again in Week 18.) The 8-4 Colts, who haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014, play the 8-4 Jaguars for first place in the AFC South. (The rematch happens in Week 17.) And the 4-8 Bengals, whose slim chances of jumping the Steelers and Ravens are hanging by a thread, visit 8-4 Buffalo, which could still jump for the playoff table — and miss.
At 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, the 9-3 Bears and the 8-3-1 Packers renew the NFL’s oldest rivalry at Lambeau Field, with round two set for a Saturday night only 13 days later. It’s the most significant home-and-home for Chicago and Green Bay since the merger, and the biggest game between them since the 2010 NFC Championship.
Rarely are both teams good this late in the season. From the early 1970s through 1988, the Packers were more often than not non-contenders. From 1990 on, the Bears only had sporadic high-level seasons. This year, the black-and-blue planets have aligned perfectly.
On Sunday night, the Texans return to Arrowhead Stadium, where they lost twice in less than a month last season. On a Saturday night in December, Houston kept it within one score, 27-19. In the divisional round of the playoffs, the 23-14 outcome was uncomfortably close for the three-time AFC Champions.
Now, the Texans have won four in a row to get to 7-5. And the Chiefs, at 6-6, have slipped into “run the table” mode. With the first game coming against arguably the best defense in the league.
It all ends on Monday night, when the 8-4 Eagles visit the 8-4 Chargers. Philly has sputtered for weeks on offense, and the Chargers have shown a propensity to step into a periodic pothole. If the Cowboys start Week 14 with a win, the Eagles will be at risk of seeing their lead in the NFC East slip to a half game, 8-5 vs. 7-5-1.
So, yes, December is coming in like a lion. Hopefully, it will go out like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with four weekends of NFL action setting the stage for one of the craziest final weekends of the regular season we’ve ever seen to start 2026.
Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., rookie running back Woody Marks and cornerback Kamari Lassiter did not practice on Wednesday.
Coach DeMeco Ryans indicated that all three will play in Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
“They’ll all be fine. We’ll see how the week goes,” Ryans said, via a transcript from the team.
Marks injured his foot in Sunday’s win over the Colts. He played 41 of 76 snaps but rushed for 64 yards on 19 carries.
Nick Chubb is the backup to Marks.
Anderson (chest/shoulder) missed one practice last week before playing 34 of 54 snaps against the Colts.
Lassiter played the entire game against the Colts despite his foot injury, and he totaled three tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
Right tackle Trent Brown (hand), defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. (foot), defensive end Denico Autry (knee) and linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) also didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) was limited.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is listed with a new issue on Wednesday’s injury report but it did not affect his practice time.
Kansas City listed Mahomes as a full participant in the day’s session with a knee injury.
Last week, Mahomes was listed as a full participant on all three reports with a groin issue.
Mahomes has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 3,238 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions so far in 2025. He’s also rushed for 348 yards with four TDs.
As noted by head coach Andy Reid earlier in the day, cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, guard Trey Smith (ankle), and right tackle Jawaan Taylor (triceps/knee) all did not participate on Wednesday.
Safety Bryan Cook (ankle), tight end Noah Gray (concussion/shoulder), safety Jaden Hicks (shoulder), defensive end George Karlaftis (thumb), running back Isiah Pacheco (knee), receiver Nikko Remigio (shoulder), and receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring) were all full.
