"Sometimes champions are built in the bottom of a deep, dark pit."
That's what Anthony Weaver said on Texans Radio that he told the defense when referring to where the opener is and how last season ended.
The Texans know that week one is just one game in a long season but it's the first one and there's no doubt there's something special about being in the home of the Super Bowl champs on a field where last season came to a screeching halt.
This is only the fourth regular season trip to Arrowhead in the history of the Texans. Kansas City and Pittsburgh are the cities Houston has been to the least, in the AFC. Both are on the docket in the first three weeks.
It's not that the Texans haven't played Kansas City a bunch though. There were four consecutive home games from 2015-2017, including a playoff loss to end the '15 campaign.
The lone win in that stretch was a week two triumph in 2016 in a game quarterbacked by Brock Osweiler. Deshaun Watson had a stellar game in a 2017 prime time loss that saw both J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus exit for the season, on the same drive!
Last year's regular season win at K.C. was a come-from-behind masterpiece with Houston roaring back from a 17-3 deficit.
These two teams know each other well. There are three weeks to get ready. The Chiefs will have all their weapons and a kitchen sink playbook that might have some new appliances.
But the Texans have some new players on offense and could surprise Kansas City as there will be nothing on tape for the Chiefs to digest. With no preseason games or joint practices there's a tremendous potential competitive advantage to not showing your hand with a beefed up attack.
There will be a scrimmage or two but don't expect those to be showcased on the NFL Network or anything. Bill O'Brien will likely keep his cards close to his chest and have the first long look at the 2020 Texans occur on opening night.
