The Tennessee Titans are looking to get back on track to keep their playoff hopes alive against the fiery Kansas City Chiefs, who will have star quarterback Patrick Mahomes returning.
The Tennessee Titans got beaten down last week against Christian McCaffrey and the Carolina Panthers in a 30-20 loss that was a lot more lopsided than the final score implies. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs are riding an impressive 26-23 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings.
The Chiefs and Titans are trending in opposite directions when they meet at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday at 12 P.M. CT on CBS.
Betting odds and lines
The Titans opened as a three-point home underdog against the Chiefs this weekend, courtesy of The Action Network. The line has since moved, with the Chiefs like to get starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes back in the starting lineup.
The Chiefs (-6) currently sit as six-point favorites against the Titans (+6).
The money line is greatly favoring the Chiefs (-265) against the Titans (+218), and are drawing 59 percent of the bets so far.
The over/under is at 48 points, displaying the oddsmakers’ confidence in the Chiefs to rack up points. After not allowing over 20 points in a game all season, the Titans defense has slipped in the past two weeks.
The Titans dropped to seventh overall in scoring defense, while the Chiefs sit at sixth overall for scoring offense.
Weather
The Titans are getting a perfect football day in November, according to NFLWeather.com. The temperature is expected to be in the 60’s after kickoff, with ample sunshine. There is a possibility for a drizzle throughout the day, though. The winds are expected to be at 9 MPH, which could affect some of the kicking game.
Injury reports
The Titans are going to go into the game with another man down. Cornerback Malcolm Butler went down in the Panthers game with a broken wrist and was placed on injured reserve. That is a major loss for the Titans, particularly with the matchup against Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins this week.
Along with Butler, the Titans will also be without ineside linebacker Jayon Brown (groin), defensive lineman Jurrell Casey (shoulder) and tight end Delanie Walker (ankle). Wide receiver Corey Davis (hip) is listed as doubtful, according to the Titans’ official site.
Center Ben Jones will return after missing last week with a concussion.
The Chiefs are getting some positive news in their injury report with Patrick Mahomes returning this week, however left tackle Eric Fisher (groin) and defense end Alex Okafor (right ankle) have been ruled out. Defensive end Frank Clark (neck), right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (right ankle) and cornerback Kendall fuller (right thumb) are all questionable, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic.
Rematch of the 2017-18 NFL Playoffs
The Titans last played the Chiefs in the Wild Card round of the 2017-18 NFL playoffs. The Titans put together a classic, coming back from a 21-3 halftime deficit to upset the Alex Smith-led Chiefs. The game featured what was Mariota’s most iconic play in his career in which he threw himself the ball to score a touchdown. It was a game that seemed like it was a turning point for both franchises.
The Titans have unfortunately been unable to recreate the magic from the season. Mariota has had up-and-down seasons which has since led to his benching earlier in the year. A new coaching regime under Mike Vrabel seemed destined to take a bright young core to the next level but has also subsequently struggled to bring in any consistency.
Ryan Tannehill has been a slight uplift for the offense since taking over; however, he has struggled to take the team to the next level. Rookie play-caller Arthur Smith has been abysmal for the Titans, failing to utilize the numerous weapons on offense. Against a middling Chiefs defense, the Titans have a chance to correct the ship.
Derrick Henry inexplicably got only 13 carries despite him averaging 4.8 yards per carry. I expect the Titans to run heavily against the Chiefs to limit the number of possessions the Chiefs get. Similarly, I expect Vrabel to continue to be aggressive and take multiple fourth down chances to either put up touchdowns or keep the offense on the field.
The Chiefs have also taken a whole new look after their devastating playoff loss to the Titans. First, they traded their quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins, handing over the team to second-year QB Patrick Mahomes at the time. The Chiefs have not looked back since.
Mahomes went on to put together one of the greatest seasons by a quarterback last year, leading the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game in what was an MVP season for him. While the Chiefs have one of the most dynamic offenses around Mahomes, their defense hasn’t been as good.
The Chiefs give up 22.7 points per game and have the fourth-worst rushing defense. While the Chiefs struggle to stop the run, they did bottle up Dalvin Cook last week, who was leading the NFL in rushing coming into the game. If they can shut down the rushing attack again this week, they can really blow out Tennessee.