The Tennessee Titans (5-2) are now one day away from their mammoth intra-conference clash with the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 9.
This is a primetime game between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the AFC who possesses mirroring records after seven games. Despite the same amount of wins and losses, these two teams couldn’t have more differing reputations from each other.
The Chiefs are universally considered Super Bowl contenders every single season, while the Titans, on the other hand, are often labeled as pretenders until proven otherwise.
Yet, regardless of the differing reputations, more often than not, both of these two teams are playing relevant football in January.
Although we still have a ways to go before we can really start thinking about the playoffs this year, Sunday night’s game could have huge tie-breaker implications at some point this season.
The Chiefs (No. 3) are sitting behind the Titans (No. 2) in the conference standings, but Kansas City will jump Tennessee with a win, while also grabbing the head-to-head tie-breaker for playoff seeding.
This game is filled with intriguing individual and collective on-field matchups across the board.
Let’s focus on three specific ones that will play a large part in deciding the outcome of this matchup between two AFC hopefuls.
Jeffery Simmons (and the pass-rush) vs. Patrick Mahomes
This matchup is about as good as it gets. On one side, the Titans have a bona fide Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Jeffery Simmons. On the other, the Chiefs have every bit of an MVP signal-caller in Patrick Mahomes.
Simmons’ name in particular has been in the news as of late due to a contract situation that we’ll undoubtedly be discussing to a nauseating degree once the offseason rolls around.
However, a superstar like the Titans defender knows that important primetime games against a perennial AFC Powerhouse are the type of contests that can make him a lot of money down the line.
Truthfully, this type of game is important for both parties come negotiation time.
If Simmons wants to approach anything close to that $31.6 million figure that Aaron Donald annually makes, he will need to prove that he’s capable of wreaking havoc against arguably the best quarterback in football.
Jeffery Simmons ranks 2nd in pressure rate, and 3rd in pass rush win rate, via @PFF pic.twitter.com/yr3SXvrNbq
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) November 1, 2022
It’s one thing to do it against 37-year-old Matt Ryan, Davis Mills, and Derek Carr, but Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense are on an entirely different level.
As for the Titans’ perspective, in order for them to legitimately consider giving out any contract that’s near the top of the defensive tackle market, these are the types of games that Simmons must dominate from start to finish.
It definitely won’t be an easy feat. The Chiefs’ quarterback is having another fantastic season despite losing Tyreek Hill this offseason.
Mahomes has already thrown for 2,159 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. The MVP quarterback also has the third-highest QBR in the entire league at the moment (76.7).
Arguably the hardest part about defending a Mahomes-led offense is the fact that it’s combined with Andy Reid’s cerebral play calling and designs that turns every football game into a chess match.
The Chiefs often get creative on offense, using a bunch of eye manipulation gadgets that make opposing defenders think on the fly rather than relying on their instincts.
Kansas City constantly makes defenses identify whether the motioning is being used to create some type of mismatch or if it’s just fluff to distract the defenders from where the play is really going.
In order for the Titans’ defense to slow down this explosive Chiefs offense, Simmons has to set the tone for his defense by being on his “P’s” and “Q’s” throughout this one so he doesn’t fall for anything the Chiefs try to pull on Sunday.
Tennessee’s pass rush as a whole has to make its presence felt early and often. The Titans’ ninth-ranked scoring defense is led by their savage defensive line that includes Simmons, Bud Dupree, Denico Autry, Teair Tart, and Rashad Weaver.
The five of them have already combined for a whopping 73 pressures, 34 quarterback hits, and 14.5 sacks, per Sports Info Solutions.
Simmons and company will need to provide more of this if the Titans are going to head back to Nashville with their sixth straight victory.
Titans’ passing attack vs. Chiefs' pass defense
Good news: The Chiefs enter this game with the 30th-ranked passing defense in the entire league after allowing an average of 277.0 passing yards per game.
Bad news: The Titans haven’t given any indication as to whether or not they’ll have their starting quarterback.
Ryan Tannehill missed last week’s game with an ankle injury that seemingly hasn’t improved as much as everyone had hoped for. He was limited at best this week in practice and he appears to be a game-time decision on Sunday.
Mike Vrabel says Ryan Tannehill was limited at practice today. Asked if he’d be game-time decision, Vrabel said I think so. #Titans
— Ben Arthur (@benyarthur) November 4, 2022
As important as this game feels at the moment, this season is much bigger than just this one game. Should Tannehill be unable to protect himself, then he should probably rest another week just to be safe.
If Tannehill can’t go, it will once again be third-round rookie Malik Willis under center in the biggest game of his young NFL career. Last weekend, Willis only threw 10 passes, completing six of them for 55 yards and one interception.
Obviously, Willis will need to be much better than that if he’s called upon against a potent opponent like the one the Titans face on Sunday.
Most notably, the Liberty product has to improve his overall ability to get the ball out on time, something he visibly struggled with last week.
The lack of anticipation was very evident in his lone interception of the day. Rather than reading the coverage and trusting that his guy was going to be open, he physically waited to see him open.
Unfortunately, that’s something you just can’t do at the professional level on a timing route.
By the time Willis actually passed the ball, the defender was already breaking on the throw. He then combined the late pass with subpar ball placement, ultimately resulting in the ugly interception.
Nonetheless, that was an invaluable lesson for him that will make him a better NFL quarterback as he continues to develop. In the meantime, one thing the team needs more consistency out of is Willis’ legs
The rookie quarterback’s athleticism is clearly his biggest asset at the moment. If there’s one thing he and the Titans have to trust, it’s his ability to run the ball. Willis can’t be hesitant with his best punch when he’s given the chance to run.
If done correctly, this Henry-Willis tandem can develop into a dangerous aspect for this offense if/when the Titans figure out how to correctly utilize a backfield that includes the two of them.
Maybe that happens on Sunday, but make no mistake about it, if the Titans can get Tannehill back in their lineup at close to full strength, they have to roll with No. 17 in this one.
Regardless of who is out there, the Titans need their quarterback to do just enough to complement an elite running game and stout defense that is more than capable of beating anybody.
Derrick Henry vs. Chiefs’ run defense
For the Titans to leave Kansas City with their sixth straight victory, the team has to get another strong performance out of their superstar running back, Derrick Henry.
Over the Titans’ five-game winning streak, Henry has accounted for 788 total yards and six touchdowns. He’s also rushed for over 100 yards in four straight games, including a 200-yard outing last Sunday in Houston.
Derrick Henry over his last 55 games played:
👑: 6,392 Rushing Yards
🐐: 64 Total Touchdowns
👑: 116.2 YPG
🐐: 2X All Pro
👑: 2X Pro Bowler
🐐: 2X Rushing Champion
👑: 2X Rushing TD leader
🐐: Rushed for 2K Yards (2020)
👑: OPOY (2020)
🐐: Legendary playoff run (2019)#Titans pic.twitter.com/XshD8XHm0I— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) November 1, 2022
This weekend the Alabama product will have a much tougher task at hand as he faces a Chiefs defense that presently ranks third against the run. Kansas City’s group is allowing 92.0 yards per game to opposing backs thus far.
Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones is not only the star of their defense, but he’s also one of two defenders in the entire league who has a higher Pro Football Focus grade (92.9) than Simmons currently has (90.9).
It’s crucial for Tennessee’s offensive line to have a plan for limiting No. 95’s impact if they plan on winning on Sunday. If not, Jones is more than capable of single-handedly ruining the offense’s game plan.
Even someone as physically gifted as Henry isn’t consistently breaking away from the grasp of Jones in the backfield.
The Titans’ interior combination of Aaron Brewer, Ben Jones, and Nate Davis have been awesome together as of late, especially in the run game, and they’ll need to be on Sunday to give the Titans their best chance.
The Titans are 19-2 whenever Henry rushes for over 100 yards, a trend they hope to extend to 20-2 by the end of the weekend if everything goes to plan.
