Chiefs Host Titans, Week 9: OPEN THREAD

Laddie Morse

If you didn’t do so last night, be sure you have set your clocks backward (Fall Back) before you do anything else this morning.

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It’s been said that Offense wins games, but that Defense wins championships. I’m not so sure that the “defense wins championships” maxim works when talking about today’s game. Let’s take a look at the last 22 Super Bowl winners and see if, indeed, a team’s Defense has won those Championships? If so, how many? Why 22? Because the St. Louis Rams of 1999 have often been said to usher in the new era of passing. So, let’s take a look at all the teams who won, to see if they used mostly defense, or offense, or both, to make their victory happen.

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By my count, the Offense has had something to do with 15 of the last 22 Super Bowl winners while the Defense of those teams has shared in 11 Super Bowl outcomes. I’m not sure what I expected to find when I started out on this data fact checking errand, but I imagined that the offenses of those Super Bowl winners would have much more to do with those victories. Nevertheless, 5 of those wins for the Defense came from a combo platter win, where both the Offense and the Defense shared the responsibility for those wins. In any case, it looks like the offenses in the NFL have grown in importance, and that’s the point here.

Note: I have long held that Joe Montana is the all time GOAT at QB. This breakdown shows that only one of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl wins had to do with his passing accumen and that was the game versus the Atlanta Falcons. Even his 500 passing yards vs the Eagles couldn’t help them win that game.

As for the game today, most analysts have whittled down the outcome to: can K.C. stop RB Derrick Henry? I would say it’s slightly more complicated than that. If Patrick Mahomes, and Andy Reid, and their newfangled offense, can succeed at creating a solid number of successful drives for TDs — early in the game, or later — it will force the Titans to use more than a RB to catch up, or win, at any point in time.

Kimble Anders: A Salute

FB Kimble Anders will serve as drum leader before tonight’s game. He’ll also be inducted into the Chiefs Ring of Honor and Team Hall of Fame at half time.

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“[Kimble Anders was] A member of the organization from 1991-2000… [he] will become the 51st member of the Ring of Honor and the 47th player to be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. Anders’ induction ceremony will be conducted during halftime with nearly 80 Chiefs alumni in attendance….”

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Referee’s Assignment

Clete Blakeman and his crew have been assigned to referee tonight’s game. The last time he and his crew refereed an important game for K.C. was in 2021:

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“The last meaningful game he officiated was the Chiefs’ 36-35 Week 2 loss against the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, which also happened to be on “Sunday Night Football.”

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Blakeman and his group called 13 penalties in that game and 5 of them were called on K.C..

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Gametime Weather

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Gametime is not until 7:20 tonight. It looks like ideal weather for a football game… once again!

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Toney, Toney, Toney

The name “Kadarius Toney” has been blowing up the internet this week. Fans of WR Skyy Moore — like myself — have also been wondering if he’ll be replaced as Punt Returner this week… by Toney? The answer to that is, yes, but Special Teams Coach Dave Toub says Skyy is still in the mix.

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We’re sure to see Toney at some point tonight, not only Returning Punts, but on some offensive plays designed to get him out in space.

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Born to [Stop the] Run

If he Chiefs defense can slow down RB Derrick Henry, they can win this game going away. Vegas has the Chiefs set to win this game by two touchdowns, and in some cases more than that. You can bet that the Titans offense is singing this song right now:

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All the Chiefs defense needs to do is Stop (the run) In the Name of Love, for God’s sake… so they might be singing this tune right now:

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Versus the Best Defenses in the NFL

How many times have we heard that the Chiefs were about to face off against the best defense in the league? In the meantime, K.C. is leading the league in scoring and they’re also the only team averaging more than 30 points per game at 31.9 PPG.

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Once K.C. is done with a defense, those teams don’t have “the best” defense in the NFL any more. I expect more of the same tonight. That’s another good reason for listing the Super Bowl winners by Offense and Defense above. Now that the Chiefs are even more loaded than ever — yes, because of Kadarius Toney — they should be able to dismantle the Titans “League Best” defense.

My Love of All Things Chiefs

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My Prediction for this Game

Come one now, if ya give the Chiefs extra time to prepare of an opponent, what do you expect is gonna to happen? They are well-known game wreckers in that case. How can you resist going with a team like K.C. when their HC, Andy Reid, has a 12-and-1 record at home following the Bye Week. Oh yea, and since Reid’s been paired with QB Patrick Mahomes, he has a 4-and-0 record. That’s what yous call impeccable. Or how bouts unblemished? Gee wiz cuzz, me sure does like thems odds. How bout ya’ll?

Chiefs 44, Titans 17

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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