To become just the third 6th-seeded team in Super Bowl, Titans must go through Chiefs
The Tennessee Titans finished with the worst record of any NFL playoff team this season — 9-7 — but have been on a most impressive postseason run, with victories at defending Super Bowl champion New England and AFC top seed Baltimore. One more hill to conquer: the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Here’s a look at this Tennessee team.
Coach
Get a load of Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel’s pre-game workout routine: As the team dressed for playoff victories at New England and Baltimore, Vrabel and a couple of his assistants engaged in a series of planks, push-ups and squats on the sideline — a non-impact workout for a team making an impact in the playoffs.
Vrabel, in his second year at Tennessee, is the high-energy coach whose 14-year playing career ended with two seasons in Kansas City, including a stint on the Chiefs’ 2010 playoff team. Now, he’s bidding to take Tennessee to a rare spot: the Super Bowl as a No. 6 seed. Only two teams have reached the Super Bowl from that seed, and the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2010 Green Bay Packers both went on to become champions.
Heres’ a stat to remember: The Titans are 15-1 over Vrabel’s two seasons when they’re leading or tied at halftime.
Offense
Derrick Henry is incredible — no other way to describe him. He’s topped 180 rushing yards in each of the last three games, an NFL record, and the Chiefs know him well. Henry rushed for 188 yards in the Titans’ victory over the Chiefs in Week 10, and he rushed for 156, including 114 in the second half, against Kansas City in the playoffs two years ago.
But it’s quarterback Ryan Tannehill who has changed the trajectory of this team. Tennessee was 2-4 when he took over the starting role from Marcus Mariota. They’re 9-3 since then, with two playoff road victories. In the postseason, the Titans aren’t putting up huge numbers: 572 total yards in two games, with Henry’s 377 rushing yards accounting for the bulk. But they’ve played smart, working in play-action when opponents have stacked the box.
Also, Tennessee has been perfect in the red zone, with five touchdowns in five trips during the playoffs. And they’ve shown creativity, with a Henry to Corey Davis halfback pass and a Tannehill keeper on an option. Plays like that, plus Henry’s overall excellence, are what makes Tennessee hot as a firecracker coming into Sunday’s game.
Defense
Tennessee has been so good in short-yardage situations during the playoffs that the Chiefs might want to think twice about fourth-and-short decisions. The Titans kept New England out of the end zone after the Patriots had a first-and-goal at the 1. Twice, the Ravens failed on fourth-and-1 after converting all eight attempts during the regular season.
The Titans limited Lamar Jackson’s effectiveness by preventing him from turning upfield. Jackson still went for 143 yards rushing and Baltimore rolled up 530 total yards, but the Ravens got into the end zone just once. The Chiefs are coming off a game in which they scored touchdowns on seven straight possessions, all in the red zone.
The Titans have come up with five takeaways during the playoffs, and that’s helped them set up some short-field touchdowns. In these teams’ regular-season meeting, the Chiefs amassed 530 total yards and 28 first downs, but the Titans buckled down and forced six field-goal attempts. The final one was blocked to clinch KC’s loss.