Week 7 of the 2021 NFL Season brings with it a duel between two teams that at the beginning of the year were seen as powerhouses in the American Conference, but at this point, neither is having a good time. Chiefs and Titans want to regain credibility with a more than necessary victory and this is all you need to know about it.
Chiefs and Titans, two intermittent teams in search of credibility
The duel between Chiefs and Titans this coming Sunday is a game with flavor of two things: Playoffs and inconsistency; Let’s talk about the second. Kansas City (3-3) is going against the odds in eighth in the AFC, their worst start to the season in the QB Patrick Mahomes era and also their worst since 2015, when they started 1-5, however, that time. They closed the year with 10 wins in a row, and something similar they will have to recreate in 2021 to remain in the AFC West fight. However, in this search they will run into a stone in the way: Tennessee.
In regular season games, the Titans have beaten the Chiefs three times in a row, for whom it is their worst active losing streak against any team in the NFL. The last game, excluding the Playoffs, that those led by Andy Reid beat Tennessee dates back to 2013, which clearly does not bode well for Kansas City considering that this season they have been due to the expectations they have on them.
However, if there is a more inconsistent team than the Chiefs, it is surely the Titans (4-2). Those led by RB Derrick Henry come from beating the Bills, but we cannot forget that two weeks earlier they were unexpectedly defeated by the Jets, one of the worst teams today. When you want to be considered a contender for the Super Bowl, you can’t indulge in those kinds of “luxuries.” However, the lack of consistency of both franchises can be simply summarized: a lot of offense, little defense.
In total points allowed, Kansas City is the fourth worst team in the league (176), and not far behind, at 25th, are the Titans (161). Plus, the Chiefs rank 32nd in sacks (7), and that doesn’t help anything knowing QB Ryan Tannehill is the NFL’s most sacked (20). An offensive line that does not protect its quarterback against a front seven that he captures absolutely nothing is the breaking point that both must take advantage of to tilt this game in their favor.
But ultimately, while both defenses are fiasco, these teams are still playoff-worthy thanks to their offenses, which are currently among the best. The Chiefs have averaged 314.5 passing yards per game in the first six weeks of the year, making it the third-best offense in the NFL in the category. For their part, in the rushing field, with an average 164.2 yards per game, the Titans are also third.
So surely the offense that can get the most out of its opponent’s disastrous defense will dictate the outcome of this postseason rematch-flavored game.
A duel with an early taste for the Playoffs
We already talked about this duel having a taste of inconsistency, now it’s time to talk about Postseason. Two of the last three times these teams have met has been in the Playoffs. In 2018, against all odds, the Titans beat the Chiefs 22-21 in the Divisional Round, but last year, it was Kansas City that asserted its favorite status by beating Tennessee 24-35 in the Conference Championship Game. American.
This means that if Henry, Tannehill and company want to claim their claim, they will have to bypass the team that clipped their wings heading to Super Bowl LV the previous season. And if the Chiefs want to forget once and for all the catastrophic performance of 2018, they will have to reassert their superiority over Tennessee with a second consecutive victory over them.
Therefore, for reasons like the previous ones, both are in a hurry to win in order to regain credibility for the second half of the regular season. Kansas City wants to be respected again; re-enact fear, and the Titans want to show that they can regularly beat the best teams in the AFC, and one thing is for sure, thanks to the two lethal offenses, we will see a preamble of what we will find in the postseason, well, unless If a tragedy happens, these two teams will surely enter the Playoffs.
Can the Chiefs get back on track with a much-needed victory, or will the Titans raise their hands as serious contenders for the AFC title? We read you in the comments below this article and on our social networks.
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