****SWAMP WILD CARD WEEKEND - TENN @ KC***
***TENNESSEE TITANS @ KANSAS CITY CHEIFS***
It's here! It's here! Wild Card weekend baby! A personal favorite of the SwampMan, as Cinderella squads look to do the unthinkable and launch themselves into glory. Anything and everything that has happened before this point, no longer matters, and no matter how they got here, these are the ones that punched a ticket to the promised land, and with that comes a clean slate and a pipe-dream fueled by hope. First up, the Tennessee Titans head into Kansas City as they try to pull off the big upset in the always dreaded Arrowhead Stadium. For the sake of being busy, I'm going to keep my analysis short and to the point. If you are familiar with the Swamp and have ever been involved in a game that I picked where the Titans are involved, you'd know that I am no believer in this team. Mainly, I'm just not a believer in QB Marcus Mariota. I was really hoping for them to not make the playoffs as I thought they would be a wasted spot where a team like say, the Chargers or Ravens could actually pose a threat to the big boys like Pitt and New England. However the chips fell where they did, and the Titans took care of business in their last game against their rival and Division Leading Jacksonville Jaguars. I personally think the Jags let down for that game and part of them were most likely totally fine with letting the Titans win, since it would have set up a rematch and third face-off in Jacksonville this weekend instead of hosting those same Ravens or Chargers. However, the Ravens DID NOT take care of business and were upset by their spoiling rival the Cincinnati Bengals which thrust the Titans into the 5th seed, and let the back door open for the lowly Bills to snatch up the 6th spot, breaking their long playoff-less drought. Needless to say, week 17 was as much fun as expected.
Back to the topic at hand here- to my disappointment, the Titans are in. Once I was able to get over this fact earlier in the week and glared further into the Swamp at today's matchup against the Chiefs, to my surprise I actually began to like what I saw. For all the grief I have given Mariota and the Titans this season, I think they can and will hang tough in this spot in what will be his first appearance in the postseason. I literally do not think I have picked them all year, and I think the time has come. The Chiefs are obviously the better team, I don't think anybody will argue this fact. They are loaded with talent on offense and can kill you many different ways. Most have probably penciled them into the next round at either Pittsburgh or New England, and I don't blame them. With all their flashy and shiny weapons in Rookie RB Kareem Hunt, WR Tyreek Hill, and TE Travis Kelce, what's not to like? Led by an excellent Head Coach in Andy Reid, they are a REAL playoff team and a REAL threat to anybody to send them home packing if they aren't ready for them. After starting the season with a dominating 5 game win streak, they fell off a bit and had a pretty bad lull in the middle there before getting back on track and finishing strong with 4 straight wins to end the season. Reid made the decision during their woes to hand over the play-calling to Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy and that is what seemed to have sparked the Chiefs back to their early season form. On the other side of things if you haven't realized it yet already, I believe that the Titans are a fraud, there I said it. They have had a very easy schedule which has painted them in a picture that they don't belong in. Soon enough the Jaguars were able to separate from them and win the division as they deserved while the Titans dropped three straight games before beating the Jags in the final week to get into the postseason. When I watch the Titans I think my main issue with them is that they frustrate me. They have all the pieces necessary to be a very good team. They have a very stout defense with talented guys in all three levels of the unit, a nice mix of youngsters and veterans. On offense, they have a Heisman winning QB and RB in Marcus Mariota and Derrick Henry. They also have a dangerous pass catching TE in Delanie Walker and plenty of solid WRs in Decker, Matthews and I'm still waiting for Rookie 1st rounder Corey Davis to break out, hell maybe today's the day. So I ask myself what is their deal? I believe the problem may stem from the simple fact that Head Coach Mike Mularkey is not a good HC in my opinion. I had every expectation of him being let go after this season ended, especially if they missed the playoffs. Apparently the organization wants him out badly enough though that now reports have come out this morning that his job is still on the line and he will probably be fired with a loss in KC today. So while I don't think he is a good coach and is holding them back, I do think he is a good guy and that his players like him enough to add just another reason to not want to get completely blown out here. Not that there is any extra motivation ever needed in a playoff game, but I do think his players will fight hard for him to avoid complete embarrassment if it is indeed his last game. Now onto the things that matter- the actual matchup:
Tennessee can exploit the Chiefs weaknesses and just might be strong enough to and have the talent necessary to help slow down what KC likes to do offensively. I mentioned some of the veteran guys that the Titans have on defense earlier and those guys like LBs Brian Orakpo and Wesley Woodyard have been focal points in this defense and are hungry for postseason success. I like those guys to do what they do best and clog up the middle to slow down Kareem Hunt's production. That being said, the pressure is on Chiefs QB Alex Smith to finally take them to the next level. The Chiefs have not won a playoff game in Kansas City in ages. Last week in a meaningless game, Rookie QB Pat Mahomes made his debut in a road win against the Broncos and he looked good. Smith as well as KC fans all know it is only a matter of time before the youngster takes over for him as the starting QB. Smith did a fine job this season of proving the naysayers wrong and fending off the Rookie by playing well. He fell back to his old ways during that losing streak but quickly busted out of it when the seat got hot again. It's playoff time and the pressure is on more than ever for Smith to perform well. I think this could mess with his psyche just enough. That being said my X-factor's here are the young talented guys in the Titan secondary like Safety Kevin Byard, who's been an absolute ballhawk thus far. I like him to be tasked with slowing down TE Travis Kelce in the passing game. Rookie CB Adoree Jackson has the rare speed and quickness to stick with speedster Tyreek Hill. Simply put, with the right gameplan by Defensive Coordinator Dick Lebaeu, the Titans can really be a problem for the Chiefs today. On the other side of things I believe that KC's weakness is their defense. Despite CB Marcus Peters they are a mess in my opinion and while I believe Mariota is never any threat to beat you with a deep ball I also know today is the kind of day where nothing is off the table for a team like the Titans. The element of surprise can be key here and with RB DeMarco Murray out, we all know the monster RB Derrick Henry will be the focal point of the Tennesee offense here in an attempt to utilize ball control. The Chiefs obviously know this as well and will try to make Mariota beat them through the air. I think his guys step up today and that he utilizes his legs and misdirection to pick up chunks of yardage like he did on a huge play last weekend to seal the win for the Titans and send them into the playoffs. The dude shocked the hell out of me with a big time stiff arm on a Jags defender to pickup the first down with his legs. I believe that sparked this team and let his guys know that he is all in baby. I also like Derrick Henry to establish himself as the primary back for this team moving forward as most likely DeMarco Murray's time is done due to injuries and age. Henry called his play soft last game and I expect him to carry a big load to be the rock in this offense today. Mariota actually reminds me a bit of Alex Smith and I believe he will do enough to not screw the game here and take what the defense gives him. I expect him to utilize Walker in the middle of the field where the absence of Chiefs Safety Eric Berry has left a void. Despite all my dislike for this team as I mentioned none of that stuff before today matters, and I think they can and will compete here in this particular game. Bottom line, too many points for my liking as I feel like we will get a closer, hard fought game. I think the Chiefs pull it out in the end but that it won't be easy. TITANS+9
