After a close win Sunday, the Tennessee Titans are returning to playoff competition for the first time since the 2008 AFC South Champions took the field against the Baltimore Ravens in January 2009. During that season, the Titans were led by veteran Quarterback Kerry Collins who made the Pro Bowl that season as the Titans rolled to the #1 seed in the AFC. This year, franchise Quarterback Marcus Mariota has struggled in his third season, but Mariota played well last weekend in a must-win game versus the Jaguars.
Mariota and many of his teammates lack playoff experience, but they have made it to the postseason which was essential in #8’s third season. One Titan will playoff experience is star Running Back Demarco Murray, but Murray’s status is up in the air heading into Saturday’s game. Murray being able to go is a concern for a Titans offense that has had plenty of issues this season, but whether or not Murray plays the Titans will still need to establish the run in this game. Building through the run game will allow Tennessee to run play action and deep passing routes to try and expose Kansas City’s pass defense which ranks 29th in the league.
These two teams played in Kansas City earlier in the season with the Chiefs defeating the Titans 30-6 in the final game of the preseason. Plenty has changed since that preseason game, but the last meeting that counted in KC was a fantastic finish for the Titans. Late last season, Kicker Ryan Succop nailed a game winner to beat his former team 19-17 in another cold weather game. Succop and Punter Brett Kern have been excellent for the Titans this season, so that special teams excellence should bode well for Tennessee if this game is tight late.
This is Mike Mularkey’s first postseason contest as a head coach, but his opposite number is a veteran of many postseason battles past. Between his time in Philadelphia and now with Kansas City, Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid is (11-12) all-time entering his 24th postseason game as a head coach. That playoff experience gulf between the coaches and the teams will certainly be a storyline to watch on Saturday. Titans Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau has taken part in plenty of playoff games throughout his legendary career and his defense tied for 3rd in the AFC with 43 sacks. Pressuring veteran Alex Smith will be an integral part of the Titans defensive gameplan and central to the Titans securing the victory and advancing to the AFC Divisional Round.
The forecast for Saturday in Kansas City is calling for temperatures in the high 20s, and mostly sunny with a light wind. That football weather will set up perfectly for the first playoff meeting between these two franchises at the always loud Arrowhead Stadium. Tune to 104.5 the Zone and Titans Radio all week long for the most complete coverage as the Tennessee Titans franchise attempts to secure their first playoff victory since 2004.