The Kansas City Chiefs have very quietly jumped out to a 7-2 record this season, good enough to have them sitting in first place in the AFC West heading into Week 11. They've gotten there largely on the strength of their defense, which ranks in the top-10 in both points allowed per game and Football Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).

And that defense is about to get even better. Star pass rusher Justin Houston, out since Week 12 of last season after tearing his ACL, is set to make his season debut on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, Houston could have played two weeks ago and is primed to make an immediate impact. The Chiefs were beyond cautious, riding a winning streak and saving Houston for the stretch run to avoid potential setbacks, and he should be a factor right away.

Houston is, of course, one of the best pass-rushers in football. In 70 career games, he has racked up 56 sacks and an incredible 267 pressures, per Pro Football Focus tracking, just south of four per game.

The Chiefs could certainly use him back, too, as they currently rank 29th in the NFL in pressure rate, getting a sack, hit, or hurry on only 28.8 percent of opposing drop backs. Dee Ford, Tamba Hali, and Dontari Poe have done well getting after the passer but almost nobody else has gotten any pressure. Simply having more variety should give the Chiefs a boost, and when you consider that variety is coming in the form of Houston, it should be even more than that.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ch...medium=twitter