Scouting Chiefs’ next opponent: Titans have one big question mark heading into Sunday
Chiefs fans can expect to see one statistic often this week: coach Andy Reid’s record following his team’s bye week.
Reid’s teams are 20-3 in games after a bye week, including a 12-1 record at home.
The Chiefs will try and improve on that mark when they play the Tennessee Titans in a “Sunday Night Football” game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Each week, I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here is a quick scouting report of the Titans. Kickoff on Sunday is at 7:20 p.m., and the game will air on KSHB (Ch. 41).
The record
Tennessee is atop the AFC South with a 5-2 record, having won five straight games, while the Chiefs, 5-2, are in first place in the AFC West.
Kansas City leads the all-time series 30-25, but the Titans have won five of the previous six games, dating to the 2014 season.
The offense
There are two things to know about the Titans offense before Sunday’s game: Running back Derrick Henry is on a roll, and the big question surrounding the team is the status of quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Because of an injured ankle and sickness, Tannehill didn’t play in Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Texans. The NFL Network said Tannehill missed practice last Wednesday and Friday and was listed as limited on Thursday. Rookie Malik WIllis started Sunday.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Monday he’d have a better idea after Wednesday’s practice if Tannehill can play against the Chiefs, the Athletic’s Joe Rexrode reported.
Willis threw for 55 yards on 10 attempts and had a 35.4 passer rating.
The Titans relied heavily on Henry, who has rushed for 563 yards in 112 attempts with five touchdowns in Tennessee’s last four games. Henry had 219 yards rushing on Sunday.
If defensive coordinators try to stack the box against the Titans, well, that’s not a great plan, as Next Gen Stats show.
The defense
Sunday’s game will feature the No. 2 team in third-down conversions (the Chiefs) against the top defense on third downs (the Titans).
Opposing teams are getting a first down on just 25.8% of their third downs against Tennessee.
The Titans are allowing 4.2 yards per rushing attempt, which is 12th best in the NFL. They’re also 12th in quarterback pressures (22.1% of dropbacks).
One issue for the Titans is missed tackles. They have 40 this season, which is the eighth-most in the NFL.
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 12:26 PM.
