College Football

Chiefs vs. Titans: Top matchups to watch

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:43 a.m. ET

Fansided, David Thomas/FanSided via Arrowhead Addict

Welcome to Week 15, where the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Tennessee Titans in a game rife with playoff implications.

Boy is this going to be an interesting matchup. The smash-mouth offense of the Tennessee Titans takes on Team Chaos of the Kansas City Chiefs. This team and matchup honestly scares me more than any other previous matchup the Chiefs have had this season.

While the Titans are unlikely to score 30+ points and beat down the Chiefs offense. They are likely to stick to what they do best, which is to run it down your throat. The Chiefs just lost Derrick Johnson for the season, and will likely miss him as one of the teams top run stoppers.

The Chiefs will also be going against one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Not one of their starters ranks below 19th-overall at their position by PFF. Dee Ford and Justin Houston will have their work cut out for them as they go against perhaps THE best tackle duo in the NFL.

Chiefs rush defense vs. Titans run game

Lets go ahead and get this out of the way. The Titans offense is lead by two of the most bruising runners in DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. The Titans altogether have averaged 30.6 rushes per game so far this season (second in the league). They rank as the 8th best run offense with the fourth-best run blocking line by FO.

As mentioned before, the Chiefs just lost Derrick Johnson one of their better run defenders. This is a problem especially because the Chiefs already rank 19th in run defense. They give up an average of 122.9 rush yards per game (sixth-most in the league).

The saving grace for the Chiefs is that they rank fifth in red zone defense, and have only allowed seven rushing touchdowns all season. Which is only two more than the leading run defenses Dallas and Baltimore. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Murray and/or Henry go over 100 yards rushing, but fail to score a touchdown.

Dec 8, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston (50) and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (99) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs linebackers vs. Titans tackles

In perhaps the toughest matchup for the Chiefs. Justin Houston and Dee Ford will take on Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin. So far this season the Titans have allowed 21 sacks at an adjusted sack rate of 5.5% by Football 0utsiders.

But last week against the Broncos the Titans line gave up only five pressures on the day. The Chiefs linebackers over the last four weeks have only mustered five sacks. In three games against teams that rank in the top five of pass protection the Chiefs have managed only four sacks combined.

If the Titans had a weak spot it’d be their interior offensive line. What the Chiefs will need to do is rely on their inside pass rush to push the pocket, and have the outside playing contain to keep Mariota in the pocket. If the Chiefs can get inside pressure it’ll force Mariota to make quick reads and throw into the defense leading the league in interceptions. If the outside can’t keep contain on the pocket, Mariota will use his athleticism to escape the inside pressure and take off or find an open receiver.

And lets not forget the Titans also have the No. 2 and No. 1 pass blocking running back and tight end making this matchup all the more difficult.

Marcus Mariota vs. Chiefs red zone defense

Mariota’s big story this year is that he has yet to throw a red zone interception in his career. This is a big reason why the Titans rank #2 in red zone scoring. With a punishing backfield and a quarterback who doesn’t turn it over. It is difficult to stop the Titans offense once it has made it

within the 20 yard line.

But here come the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have the most red zone takeaways in the NFL. Which is a big part of why the Chiefs rank fifth in red zone defense. They are a classic example of a “bend don’t break” defense.

Quarterback totals in the red zone against the Chiefs are: 203 yards, 13 touchdowns, four interceptions, four sacks, and two fumbles. Marcus Mariota so far this season is 233 yards, 18 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 sacks, 0 fumbles. Defenders have also only managed three pass deflections all season. It’s fair to say the Chiefs red zone defense will be tested on Sunday.