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Reasons the Titans can beat each remaining playoff team

By Brady Akins

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Head coach Mike Vrabel talks with Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans during the closing moments of AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Head coach Mike Vrabel talks with Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans during the closing moments of AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel.
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs after the game at Nissan Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeats Kansas City 35-32. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Kansas City Chiefs

The Titans’ opponent in the AFC title game will be a familiar one in the Kansas City Chiefs, a team Tennessee beat in Week 10 by a final score of 35-32. The Titans struggled to contain Kansas City’s explosive offense, but the Tennessee offense had one of its best games of the season against a softer Chiefs defense.

With how the Kansas City seemingly scored at will in their 51-31 win in the divisional round against the Texans, it may take another high-scoring performance on the part of the Titans to pull out the win.

Luckily, the game plan looks pretty clear for the Titans, and it’s one they’re more than capable of executing: give the ball to Derrick Henry and let him go to work.

Henry ended the regular season as the NFL’s leading rusher and has somehow gotten even better since he took the rushing crown in Week 17. He had 182 yards on 34 carries against the league’s sixth-best run defense, 195 yards on 30 carries against the fifth-best run defense, and will now face a Chiefs defense that ranks 26th in rushing yards allowed.

Against the Chiefs in the regular season, Henry had a breakout game, running for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Establishing Henry on the ground also opened up the play-action passing game for Ryan Tannehill, who had an efficient day through the air and kept the Titans offense from becoming predictable.

But with how good Henry has been, predictability might not make much of a difference. The star running back has run for over 180 yards in three straight weeks now, while the Chiefs have given up over 100 yards rushing in over half their games. If Henry can get going in the AFC championship, the Titans might be Super Bowl bound.

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