NFL WRITEUPS
PLAYOFFS 2-1-1
SEASON 16-5-2
We have a rematch of a game played back in November in Nashville won by the Titans by 3. They were led by Derrick Henry and his 188 yards rushing. Henry has been a busy man toting the rock 96 times the last 3 games, that's a big number. He didn't play in the Dec. 22 matchup with the Saints, hamstring, a RBs' kryptonite. Tomorrow it will be around 20 degrees gametime. I wonder about fatigue for a man who has had so many carries on a very cold day with a recent pull. It's a recipe for another pull or even a tweak. Not sayin' he's going to pull a muscle, just something to be aware of.
Speaking of the Saints game, even though Henry didn't play, they still rushed for 149 yards and Tannehill played well. So why did they lose? Drew Brees picked 'em apart, 27-38, 276 yards, 3 TDs, no pix'. And what did Mahomes do to TENN in the earlier loss? 446 yards, 3 TDS, no pix. Seems the TENN defense has struggled mightily against the 2 best passing QBs in the league.
TENN reaped the benefit of playing a NE team which struggled all year offensively. Last week they jumped out to an early lead on the Ravens forcing Lamar to have to throw, and we all know that passing is not Lamars' strength. Game over.
KC spotted HOU a 24 point lead and proceeded to outscore the Texans 51-7 the last 3 quarters or 45 minutes. WHAT? To put that in perspective, every time the second hand on your watch completed a revolution, KC scored a point. The defense did give up over 400 yards of offense, much of that was after the Chiefs had stormed back and taken the lead. They held HOU to 5 of 15 third down conversions and only 1 of 5 fourth down conversions. They also sacked Deshaun Watson 5 times for 40 yards, no easy feat. "Bend but don't break."
2 potential key injuries, gametime decisions loom ahead. OT Jack Conklin for TENN and DT Chris Jones for KC. Both would be key losses and revolve around Henry, Conklin opening holes for him, and Jones one of the few players who can match the physicality of Henry. Jones practiced on Friday and I believe he'll play even if just limited to running downs, he's one of the best in the game.
The stars have aligned for the Chiefs snagging homefield tomorrow by virtue of some unexpected losses by others. Arrowhead is and has been one of the more difficult places for opponents to play at. Expect another highly charged, raucous crowd.
This game is simple, for the Chiefs, don't let Henry break any long runs, keep him around 130 yards or less. The Titans must keep that dynamic, quick strike passing game on the sidelines because when Mahomes, Kelce, Hill, and Watkins are on the field, they're going to score.