This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans each have similar opportunities when they square off. Kansas City’s passing attack is facing one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. On the other hand, Derrick Henry and the Titans running game will be facing one of the league’s worst run defenses of 2021.
Once again, this is a near must win game for the Chiefs. They sit at 3-3 overall and have seen division rivals lose many games recently. Tennessee is 4-2 entering Sunday. More importantly, the Titans now hold a key head to head victory over a top AFC contender after defeating the Bills last week. Which team will carry over that determined mindset and start the game off quickly?
What are the top five headlines to watch for entering Sunday afternoon’s affair? We will list those, as well as keys to victory for each team. Let’s kick it off.
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Top Five Headlines
Can Henry Be Slowed Down?
Slowing down Tennessee’s running back can be viewed in a variety of ways. Are you able to hit him in the legs often and kill the engine, so to speak? What energy do you have in the latter stages of the contest as the game gets deeper? Can you fight off Henry’s stiff arms, cut back runs or power? Additionally, will the Chiefs be able to prevent him from finding that second gear in the open field?
Completely stopping Henry is nearly impossible. He just simply continues to get more dangerous, while also continuing to ascend. The top priorities for Kansas City on Sunday will likely include a couple of things. Preventing Henry from ripping off multiple runs of over 15 or 20 yards will be paramount. Plus, the Chiefs have to display a sturdy backbone while the Titans offense is in the red zone. If they can limit Henry in those aspects, they can theoretically slow him down enough to give the Chiefs offense some comfort.
Will Mahomes And Co. Complete A Full Game Of Dominant Play?
Last week, the turnovers did not slow down for Kansas City’s offense while they were in Washington. Some of them were downright laughable. And, it could have been the straw that finally broke the camel’s back. After a first half where the Chiefs offense spun their tires, the passing attack came out with motivation in the second half.
Patrick Mahomes got back to feeling confident and comfortable while maneuvering outside of the pocket. His accuracy was pinpoint. Moreover, his daring belief to test defenders down the field allowed plenty of his pass catchers to make plays. The usual strong days of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill were largely felt by Washington’s defense. However, the play of secondary receivers like Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle was much needed by the Chiefs offense.
Now the question is, can the Chiefs passing attack dominate like that for a full four quarters? The Titans secondary has not only performed horribly all season long. They are also down to their bare bones on the depth chart. Out with injuries are youngsters Caleb Farley and Kristian Fulton. Depth piece Chris Jackson is also banged up.
Janoris Jenkins is not the same cornerback he used to be, as he looks confused week to week. Other defensive backs like Breon Borders, Elijah Molden, Amani Hooker and Dane Cruikshank have struggled to make any sort of impact. Thus, the opportunity is there for Mahomes and the Chiefs passing game to remind people why they are still one of the most dangerous units in the league.
Harold Landry Has Been Red Hot
Titans pass rusher Harold Landry has long been an underappreciated player among the entire NFL ranks. His speed has long been a winning factor for him. Meanwhile, his improvements with hand counters and using increased power has led to more consistent results when pressuring the quarterback.
Currently, Landry has 6.5 sacks on the season. That is tied for third best among players with Haason Reddick and Matt Judon. The only two players with more sacks than him are Myles Garrett and TJ Watt. To put it simply, Landry is playing as one of the league’s elite pass rushers. His ability to turn an opposing team’s drive on its head can come when quarterbacks least expect it.
The expected starting offensive tackle duo of Orlando Brown Jr. and Mike Remmers have not always handled speed well. Making adjustments with proper balance and leverage will be vital for these Chiefs blockers. Furthermore, Kansas City cannot be hesitant to throw passes quickly when Landry is ready to fire out of a cannon.
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More Defensive Reinforcements For Kansas City?
The Chiefs played easily their best defensive game of the season last week. Personnel changes that included Juan Thornhill playing 100 percent of the snaps, Nick Bolton seeing more reps at MIKE linebacker and rotating defensive linemen more often led to more efficiency for the KC defense.
Fast forward to this week, and it appears that Chris Jones (wrist) and Charvarius Ward (quad) could possibly return to the lineup after battling injuries. Jones is also expected to move back inside to defensive tackle more often. The defensive end experiment has run its course and caused more issues for the Chiefs defense than what was already existing.
On the flip side, Ward’s length, physicality and body positioning would be a nice thing for Kansas City to have when facing Titans receivers who win with quickness and larger frames. I’d still personally vouch for Rashad Fenton to start along with L’Jarius Sneed, even with Ward back in the lineup. His play has just been too impactful for Steve Spagnuolo to limit his snaps right now.
Will Chiefs Have Revenge On Their Mind?
It has been a good two years since we have seen Kansas City travel to the Titans’ home in Nashville. Nonetheless, this core group of the Chiefs will definitely remember their last trip to Tennessee.
In Mahomes’ return from a freak knee injury, the offense exploded for multiple big plays. Though, injuries, failing to stop Henry and Ryan Tannehill and head scratching mistakes on special teams led to a disappointing loss. This high scoring affair was a game where the Chiefs clearly gifted the game to the Titans.
That sour taste of losing in Nashville fueled the Chiefs defensive turnaround in late 2019. It was also the last game the team would lose before hoisting the Lombardi Trophy a few months later. It is not quite the same situation. But, the Chiefs once again have three losses on the season when traveling to face the Titans on the road. Will discouraging memories of that most recent trip lead to a relentless and revengeful mindset?
Keys To Victory
Kansas City
Let Darrel Eat
Darrel Williams cashed in on his first chance to start at running back last week. The majority of his rushing yards came after first contact. To boot, his physical attitude and mindset deflated the Washington offense as the game got longer. The Chiefs know they have a tremendous opportunity against a porous secondary. Nonetheless, they should not hesitate to give Darrel the rock early and often. It could also open the Kansas City offense up even further.
Keep Your Eyes Disciplined
The Chiefs have admitted that the defense has struggled with keeping their eyes disciplined. We saw this hurt them again last week with the only touchdown they allowed. Three defenders bit on the pump fake by Taylor Heinicke. One of those, Ben Niemann, lost track of his man in the process. Tannehill is extremely patient when using play action or when executing RPOs. Kansas City cannot bite for the eye candy too quickly, while also remaining aware of where the Titans playmakers are at all times.
Win The Turnover Battle
Just once, can the Chiefs win the turnover battle? Even with two takeaways last week, Kansas City was -1 for the game in turnover differential. The turnovers have come in the worst kind of ways as well. An interception has occurred after hitting off of Hill’s hands in back to back games. A fumble on a bad snap hit Mahomes in the leg against Buffalo. Finally, Mahomes’ interception that went straight up into the air was the worst of his career. Can the offense take care of it this time?
Tennessee
Give Henry 30+ Touches
The only way this could not happen, is if Tennessee gets down big early. The Titans have to play keep away. This not only keeps the Chiefs on the field for elongated periods of time. Yet, it also limits Mahomes’ chances for attacking a limited Tennessee secondary. And as we mentioned above, Henry gets stronger as the game goes on. He may not show his full speed or adjustments until late. The more touches he gets, the higher the chance is that the Titans can emerge victorious.
Let Tannehill Use His Legs
Last time the Chiefs came to Nashville, Tannehill was chewing them up just as much with his legs as he was his arm. The difficult part for defenses comes when Ryan refuses to slide. Because of the rules in place that protect quarterbacks, and the power he has to stave off tacklers, Tannehill can pull off multiple runs of 15+ yards or more throughout the game. Tennessee can let Tannehill throw on the run or allow him to tuck it and go on an option play. This gives the Kansas City defense more to think about and watch for.
Mix Coverages
Mixing coverages has led to indecision by Mahomes from time to time. Calling different looks on the backend could also help the Titans depleted secondary stay fresh. Kevin Byard is a physical and instinctive ballhawk that Tennessee can rely on. Though, he cannot do it all on his own. Altering from Cover 3 to Cover 2, or utilizing their Man Free coverage could help limit chunk plays for the Chiefs. This may also be the answer for the Titans to handle the speed of the opposing receivers.
Be on the lookout for our FPC Chiefs game reaction article after Sunday’s contest. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.