The Kansas City Chiefs kick off a two-game road trip as they travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans.
The Chiefs are coming off a thrilling win over the Minnesota Vikings in which kicker Harrison Butker converted on a 44-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. Quarterback Matt Moore has played very well in relief of Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City defense has made big strides in the last few weeks.
Tennessee is coming off a 30-20 loss at the hands of the Carolina Panthers. The Titans are currently sitting at 4-5 and have been hovering around the .500 mark all season. They still have plenty to play for, sitting just two games behind the AFC South-leading Houston Texans and 1.5 games out of a wild-card spot.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Titans.
CHIEFS-TITANS HISTORY
The Chiefs lead the all-time series over the Titans with a 29-23 record, which includes three postseason games. They have lost their last three games to Tennessee, however, with the last two ending in heartbreaking fashion. In 2016 the Titans beat K.C. on a walk-off 53-yard field goal despite the Chiefs jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
via the NFL’s official YouTube channel
Fast forward to the 2017 AFC wild-card playoffs. The Chiefs yet again jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, only to end up losing by a final score of 22-21. K.C. was on the wrong end of a questionable forward progress call as well as a batted ball that just happened to get swatted back into the hands of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who took it in for a touchdown.
via the NFL’s official YouTube channel
TITANS’ KEY ADDITIONS
QB Ryan Tannehill
LB Cameron Wake
OL Rodger Saffold
WR Adam Humphries
TITANS’ KEY SUBTRACTIONS
FB Luke Stocker
OL Quinton Spain
QB Blaine Gabbert
DL Darius Kilgo
TITANS’ COACHING/SCHEMES
Mike Vrabel is in his second season at the Titans head coach. Chiefs fans, of course, remember Vrabel as he played his final two seasons in K.C. The former All-Pro linebacker also played 12 seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler and a New England Patriot. Prior to getting the head job in Tennessee, Vrabel was the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans.
Offensive scheme
Vrabel promoted Arthur Smith to offensive coordinator this past offseason. Smith has been with the Titans for the last nine seasons, coaching multiple different position groups. He has kept intact former offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur’s system.
Like LaFleur, Smith uses 21 personnel (two running backs and a tight end) as his base offense. This forces defenses to stay in its base formations more often. His running game features a lot of inside and outside zone running behind the fullback. Off of that come a lot of different play-action concepts, including the bootleg.
The short passing game is fairly West Coast-oriented, with the QB getting the ball out of his hands quickly on horizontal passes such as slants and crossing routes. Smith also uses a lot of pre-snap motion, which is effective because any skill position can start anywhere and move anywhere else.
The Titans’ offense has regressed a bit under Smith, ranking 26th overall. They made a quarterback change in Week 6, going from the struggling Mariota to Ryan Tannehill. Since making the change, the Titans have gone 2-1 and have had more stability on offense.
Defensive scheme
Dean Pees is in his second season with the Titans as defensive coordinator and his 47th year in coaching. He was Vrabel’s position coach and defensive coordinator in New England. Together Vrabel and Pees run a base 3-4 defense. One type of pass rush look they like to use is the diamond front.
The diamond front is a type of zone blitz where the defense matches the offense’s five offensive linemen with five defensive linemen along the line of scrimmage. After the ball is snapped, some defenders may drop off into coverage while the others rush.
They could also elect to bring all five, or drop one and replace him with a blitzing linebacker, corner or safety. There are lots of options that can be built off this look, but the beauty of the design is the ability for the defense to dictate blocking assignments to create mismatches in their favor.
Back in the secondary, the Titans play a lot of variations of Cover-2, which at its most basic form is two deep safeties and five defensive backs or linebackers in zone coverage. Tennessee ranks 13th in total defense this season.
KEY PLAYERS
QB Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill isn’t a world-beater, but he has brought some needed stability to the Titans’ offense. He has thrown for over 300 yards in two of his three starts this season along with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Tannehill is also an underrated athlete and can make plays with his legs.
RB Derrick Henry
Chiefs fans still have unpleasant memories of Henry running over the Kansas City defense in the playoffs two years ago. He is a bruising runner who will wear down tacklers over the course of a game. Henry can also quickly accelerate in the open field and contribute in the receiving game, having caught two touchdowns passes this season.
WR A.J. Brown
The Titans selected Brown in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Brown was thought to be one of the most NFL-ready receivers in the draft class, and so far that has proven to be right. He leads Tennessee in receiving yards with 429 and touchdowns with three. He is great out of the slot and is already a polished route runner.
OLB Harold Landry III
A second-round pick in 2018, Landry is coming into his own in 2019. He leads the Titans in sacks with six. What makes that even more impressive is that he drops in coverage more than the average outside linebacker. Landry is a jack-of-all-trades player. He is tied for second in the NFL in tackles for loss with eight.
CB Logan Ryan
Ryan is playing as well as any cornerback in the league. He is a turnover machine, having picked off three passes and forced three fumbles. He also has 3.5 sacks on the season, which is insane for a cornerback. He has a shot to set the record for most sacks by a cornerback in a season with six. Ryan is one of the few corners who can play out on the boundary or in the slot.
KEY MATCHUPS
Chiefs’ front seven vs. Titans’ offensive line
The offensive line of the Titans has struggled mightily this season, having surrendered the most sacks in the NFL (38) and the fourth-most QB hits (62). They are also struggling in run blocking, as Titans ball carriers are averaging just a combined 3.9 yards per carry.
On the flip side, the Chiefs’ front seven has played very well the last three weeks, leading the league in sacks with 15 during that time. It has also not allowed a 100-yard rusher the past three games. If the Chiefs’ front seven can keep this up, it will be a long day for the Titans offense.
WR Tyreek Hill vs. Logan Ryan
This will be a matchup of two elite players at their respective positions. We highlighted how good Ryan is and the season he is having, but he’ll face his toughest challenge yet when he lines up across from Hill.
Hill hasn’t missed a step since returning from injury a few weeks ago. He made several tough, contested catches last week against the Vikings. With Mahomes possibly returning for this game, Hill will be even more dangerous.
CB Kendall Fuller/Rashad Fenton vs. A.J. Brown
As we highlighted with Brown, he is having a very good rookie season as the Titans slot receiver. He is Tannehill’s go-to target and big playmaker. Guarding him will be Fuller or Fenton, or possibly both. Fuller has missed the last three weeks with a thumb injury but could return for this game.
During Fuller’s absence, Fenton has been a pleasant surprise. He was the Chiefs’ sixth-round in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has been very solid and smart in coverage, not surrendering any big plays and tackling well. Whether it’s Fuller or Fenton, Brown should be the primary focus among the Titans receivers.
OT Cameron Erving vs. Harold Landry
Landry is the Titans’ best pass rusher and run defender. He will wreak havoc and take over a game if not properly accounted for. He will be lined up across from Erving, who has struggled this season.
Erving has been a liability for the Chiefs offense, struggling in both pass and run protection. With Mahomes possibly returning from injury, Erving has to put his best foot forward. The Chiefs can help him by putting a tight end next to him or having a running back chip Landry at the line of scrimmage.
OVERVIEW
The Chiefs are the better team in this matchup, but the Titans will play hard at home. Tennessee is fighting to stay in the playoff picture and get back into the race for the AFC South title, while Kansas City has a comfortable lead in the AFC West. It will be crucial for the Chiefs to continue to play with the urgency they have played with the last few weeks.
