ARROWHEADONE CHIEFS WEEK 15:
GAME THREAD
WITH WEATHER RELATED INFORMATION
Game day is here and the next test arrives in the form of the ascending Tennessee Titans (7-6), who will take on the Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) by braving the elements, and the Arrowhead crowd, at noon today. When the schedule came out for the 2016 season most of us likely didn’t circle this game but placed a harmless “W” next to it instead. Now, we’re not so sure. The Kansas City Chiefs just lost their Pro Bowl ILB Derrick Johnson and the defense is ranked 27th against the run allowing 122.5 yards rushing per contest. In the meantime, the Tennessee Titans have the third best rushing attack averaging 144.5 yards rushing per game. While these numbers don’t nearly tell the whole story of each team they are cause for concern among ArrowheadOne Chiefs fans.
Last week when the Titans hosted and hogtied the Denver Broncos, 13-10, they rushed for 180 yards and controlled the clock for 32:27 minutes. The Broncos tried outdueling the Titans by throwing the ball but they only ended up with 18 rushing yards while they succeeded in passing the ball for 348 yards. That might normally be enough for a victory but, with no balance in their attack, the Titans kept them one-dimensional and took advantage of two key turnovers including a game-ending WR-hit-n-FUMBLE when the Broncos were driving for a winning score late in the game.
So, the key for K.C. will be to stay balanced and spread the field. Since Tennessee ranks 31st in the league against the pass the Chiefs need to not be sucked into making their game plan all about going airborne. If Andy Reid stays focused on using a varied and balanced approach, even if they fall behind, the Chiefs should come out victorious today at Arrowhead. Both teams essentially have the same thing at stake: the lead in their own conference. In the Chiefs case, winning out gives them a first-week playoff bye and a home game.
Oh yeah, the Chiefs have one other little thing to play for today… clinching a playoff spot.
National Predictions
- CBS Sports- 6 of 8 writers pick the Chiefs.
- NFL.com’s Elliott Harrison says it will be Chiefs 26, Titans 20.
- FOX Sports has a straight sweep for the Chiefs by 9 writers/analysts.
- ESPN has 10 out of 10 writers picking the Chiefs.
- NFL.com- Steve Mariucci, Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner all pick the Chiefs.
A Little Stat Chat
From ESPN’s “Numbers That Matter“
“64.7 — Chiefs QB Alex Smith’s completion percentage on downfield throws (15 yards or more) in the past four games. He was 11-for-17 during that span. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Smith was 7-for-35 (20 percent) on those throws in the previous seven games.”
Safety Tips and Weather Information
Please don’t allow the SUN SYMBOLS on the following Weather.com report to fool you. When it’s been snowing and then snow is still covering the ground, followed by days of sun (and no clouds above to keep some of the warmer air mass around), the temperature does not go up initially… it goes down… and in the case of the Kansas City area… way down. It will be extremely cold today (see the OSHA frostbite chart below) and every precaution should be taken to ensure your health and safety… whether you’re going to the game or the grocery store. An hourly weather report for today, from 10:00AM to 4:00PM, in Kansas City is as follows, as reported by Weather.com:
Wind chills will be below zero and when you say that, it means… it will feel like it is below zero. Following is a Windchill Frostbite Chart by OSHA. The example they give for suffering frostbite is this (please note that most of the day falls in the light blue zone, 30 minutes to frostbite for uncovered skin):
“For example, a temperature of 0 degrees F and a wind speed of 15 mph will produce a wind chill temperature of -19 degrees F. Under these conditions, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.”
A special note about going to Arrowhead today: please read up about how to stay safe and warm at Arrowhead by reading Randy Murawski’s piece from earlier this week called, ARROWHEAD ADVENTURES IN ARTIC WEATHER!
We published this piece early so some of you could take advantage of Randy’s life-saving tips! Please spread the word so others may take advantage as well. Here’s a tip from one of our bloggers: take cardboard to stand and sit on because the concrete and your seat may be the coldest things you touch all day.
My prediction for today’s game: Chiefs 21, Titans 10.
Stay cool… I mean warm… and GoooOOO CHIEFS!!!!!
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