Kansas City @ Tennessee preview
Nissan Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jan 6, 2018 ) Tennessee 22, Kansas City 21
The Kansas City Chiefs have weathered the storm without their MVP quarterback and expect to have Patrick Mahomes back Sunday when they visit the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have won the past two meetings with the Chiefs and are 6-1 all-time against Kansas City coach Andy Reid.
The Chiefs survived two weeks without their star quarterback, bouncing back from a tough 31-24 loss to Green Bay two weeks ago to claim a thrilling 26-23 victory over Minnesota in Week 9. Before the Week 7 game at Denver in which he dislocated his kneecap, Mahomes was averaging 350.7 passing yards and appeared poised for another big game before the injury knocked him out in the first half against the Broncos. “They’ve got a lot, a lot of weapons,” Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees told reporters. “And they are a very fast football team. But it’s fun getting ready to play them.” Tennessee’s defense has been its strength for much of the season, but veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill has revived the offense in three games since taking over as the starter.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Kansas City -6. O/U: 48
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (6-3): If there’s a silver lining to Mahomes’ two-game absence, it’s that the Chiefs were able to get running back Damien Williams more involved in the offense. Williams rushed for a career-high 125 yards last week, including a 91-yard touchdown run, and Tyreek Hill had six catches for a season-high 140 yards and a touchdown. Kansas City’s defense was gashed on the ground early in the season, but the Chiefs held Minnesota’s powerful ground game to less than 100 yards last week.
ABOUT THE TITANS (4-5): After leading the Titans to wins in his first two starts, Tannehill passed for 331 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a 30-20 loss at Carolina last week. Tennessee’s 431 total yards last week were a season-high, but three turnovers derailed their bid for a third straight win. The Titans’ defense has been solid but is dependent on takeaways - they have forced 14 turnovers and have at least one takeaway in six straight games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Chiefs K Harrison Butker leads the NFL with 84 points.
2. Hill is one of six players in NFL history with at least 20 plays of 40 or more yards in his first four seasons.
3. Titans WR A.J. Brown is the only rookie in the league with 80 or more receiving yards in three games this season.
PREDICTION: Chiefs 27, Titans 20