AFC Championship Game preview: Five things to know about the Tennessee Titans
The Chiefs are going to get a couple of second chances in the AFC Championship Game.
First is a rematch against the Titans, who beat the Chiefs 35-32 on Nov. 10 in Nashville, Tennessee. Second, is another crack at winning the AFC title game at Arrowhead Stadium after losing in overtime to the Patriots last year.
Each week I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here are five things to know about the Titans ahead of this Sunday’s game, which kicks off at 2:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS (Ch. 5):
1. Derrick’s dominance
Football is a team sport, but nearly everyone would agree the Titans are where they are because of running back Derrick Henry.
Henry has been on a serious roll, starting with the regular-season finale, a game Tennessee needed to win to make the postseason. He has rushed for 180 or more yards in each of the last three games, including two playoff contests.
He can break tackles and is quick. Both attributes were on display in this one play during Saturday’s 28-12 win at Baltimore:
Henry has three career playoff games with 150 or more rushing yards, which is the second most since 1950:
2. Air “attack”
Ryan Tannehill took over as the Titans starting quarterback when he replaced Marcus Mariota during a 16-0 loss to Denver. In 10 starts, Tannehill has thrown 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. For the season, he had 2,742 passing yards in the regular season.
More importantly, the Titans were 7-3 in games he started in the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason.
With Henry doing so well In the playoffs, Tannehill hasn’t been called upon to do too much. He has completed 15 of 29 passes for 160 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. That’s a combined total for both games: at New England and at Baltimore.
Not depending on the passing attack in the postseason is rare:
3. Creating turnovers
The Titans were ninth in the NFL during the regular season with a plus-6 turnover margin (the Chiefs were tied for seventh at plus-8). During the postseason, Tennessee is plus-4, having created three turnovers against Baltimore.
Tennessee has turned the ball over just once: a Tannehill interception against the New England Patriots in a Wild Card game. In that contest, Tennessee also had a pick-six of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady:
4. Third-down improvement
Tennessee was 18th in the NFL in third-down conversions during the regular season (38%), but they have improved markedly in that area during the postseason. The Titans have converted in 13 of 25 third-down situations (52%) in their games against the Patriots and Ravens.
During the Chiefs’ 35-32 loss to Tennessee on Nov. 10, the Titans converted just two of eight third-down plays.
5. Special teams
Strange as it sounds, Titans kicker Greg Joseph hasn’t attempted a field goal this season. Joseph signed with Tennessee in December after former Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop was placed on injured reserve.
Joseph has kicked in four games (the last two of the regular season and two postseason contests) without attempting a field goal. He has made all 13 extra-point attempts.
The Titans tied for fourth with a 43.1 yard average on punts. Brett Kern has averaged 49.2 yards per punt this season and has put five punts inside the 20.
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 8:52 AM.
