Do the Titans surprise against the clearly favoured Chiefs?
It is probably the top game of the ninth day of play in the National Football League. The “Monday Night Game” is between two franchises that each lead their division with a 5-2 win-loss record. The bookmakers, however, don’t see the teams going toe-to-toe despite having the same record.
The odds for a win by the home side are set at over 90%, with odds of up to 5.50 for a surprise win by the visitors in the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs went into their break with an emphatic win in week seven. Head coach Andy Reid’s team won 44-23 against the San Francisco 49ers, convincing in almost all respects. Above all, quarterback Patrick Mahomes dominated the highly praised Niners defence and scored more than 40 points for the third time this season.
After two weeks, the Nashville Tennessee franchise had two losses under their belt. However, the Titans were then able to celebrate five wins in a row, i.e. from the third day of play, and did not let their bye week in week six stop them. In last week’s win over Houston, quarterback Malik Willis made his starting debut for Tennessee. Between the Chiefs and Titans, betting odds could well change if Ryan Tannehill can return as a playmaker.
Kansas City Chiefs – Statistics & recent form
The Kansas City Chiefs are without any debate one of the top teams in the NFL and are legitimately one of the top contenders to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy again. They underlined that impressively in their last appearance, as already mentioned. Two weeks have passed since then and the franchise from the state of Missouri has once again been active in terms of new signings shortly before the “trade deadline”. With Kadarius Toney, another pass receiver came from the New York Giants, who has not yet been able to make a real impact in the NFL due to injuries.
The offense is rolling as usual
As they have in recent years, the Chiefs possess one of the best offensive departments, averaging 31.9 points, the most in the entire league. Over 403 yards per game also impressively prove how well they can move the ball offensively. Responsible for that, with a mediocre running game, are quarterback Mahomes and his receivers.
His favourite target is tight end Travis Kelce, followed by wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The latter caught the ball for over 100 yards for the first time in a Chiefs uniform against the 49ers and so his first touchdown seems to be only a matter of time. Will he succeed in the Chiefs vs. Titans game? A bet on it does not seem unrealistic.
On the defensive side, the Chiefs are the third-best defence against the run and the identity of the Tennessee offence is just that, which we’ll take a closer look at in a moment. That very fact, however, ensures that between the Chiefs and Titans, it’s nearly impossible to predict success for the visitors.
Key Players:
QB: Patrick Mahomes
RB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
WR: Juju Smith-Schuster
TE: Travis Kelce
K: Harrison Butker
Tennessee Titans – Statistics & current form
The most important personnel in terms of the running game for the Titans is without question Derrick Henry. He can now look back on six NFL games with more than 200 rushing yards since last week. If he manages another game like that in his career, it will be a new NFL record. He also scored his sixth and seventh touchdowns against the Texans. When Tennessee can move the ball on the ground, primarily over Henry, they like to keep it that way. The stats from the Houston game show that, too, with quarterback Willis throwing the ball just ten times.
Realistically, though, the Titans will only have a chance in the game against the Chiefs if Ryan Tannehill returns at quarterback. He practiced on a limited basis and with soreness Wednesday, though said afterward that there is a chance he could play against Kansas City. Of course, the visitors will be able to move the ball on the ground via the aforementioned Derrick Henry, but Tannehill would also return a solid baseline in the passing game.
Robert Woods, the primary pass receiver, has recorded 256 yards and a touchdown so far and so this statistic again shows the dependence on the running game. The Titans have seven passing and eight rushing touchdowns so far. Their upcoming opponents have allowed only three touchdowns to the running game.
Only Tennessee has conceded fewer rushing touchdowns, but they have also allowed 14 passing touchdowns, which is below average in the league. Defensively, the Titans only really fell apart once, when they were handed 41 points against the Bills. In all other games they conceded a maximum of 22 points. Therefore, it can be assumed that they will be able to hold their own against the Chiefs with their defence.
Key Players:
QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB: Derrick Henry
WR: Robert Woods
TE: Austin Hooper
K: Randy Bullock
Kansas City Chiefs – Tennessee Titans Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
This is the fifth year in a row that this AFC Conference clash has taken place and it is somewhat surprising that the Chiefs have only won one of the last five games. Last season, the Chiefs vs. Titans scored only three points. Our prediction, however, is that they will be much more successful in the upcoming duel.
Kansas City Chiefs – Tennessee Titans Tip
We assume that the Titans can make the game closer than the bookmakers believe. The handicap of 12.5 points conceded to the visitors is extremely high. Especially from the point of view that Ryan Tannehill can return at quarterback. In the past, the Chiefs have often struggled against the Titans. So a tip that the visitors win the game with the help of the handicap on offer is definitely within the realm of possibility.
If Tannehill plays, we also trust the guests to score more than the 15.5 points predicted as Over/Under. Kansas City has allowed at least 20 points to opponents in every game so far, and the mean is as high as 24.5 points.
In the wake of this, the odds are also appealing between the Chiefs and Titans for both teams to put at least 15 points on the scoreboard.
