In the NFL’s Week 16, the (6-8)
Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in an unfamiliar position: eliminated from the postseason with three weeks left in the regular season. So as the Chiefs close out their schedule, they’ll have to learn what they can about their younger players as they try to finish a disappointing season on a positive note. Kansas City’s first opportunity to do all of that comes against the (2-12)
Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
First quarter
Tennessee won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving Kansas City the opening possession. The Chiefs began at their own 28, where Xavier Worthy took an end-around to the left but was forced out for no gain by Amani Hooker. The drive then went backward on consecutive false starts by Esa Pole and Kingsley Suamataia, pushing Kansas City into a long-yardage situation. Gardner Minshew’s short throw to Travis Kelce fell incomplete, and on third-and-20 Minshew scrambled up the middle for eight yards to regain some field position, but it wasn’t enough to keep the possession alive.
Tennessee opened its first possession with a short completion from Caleb Ward to Chigoziem Okonkwo that moved the ball out to the Titans’ 47. Tony Pollard followed with consecutive runs, first gaining three yards to midfield and then six more on a left tackle to move into Kansas City territory. Facing third-and-1 at the Chiefs’ 44, Kalel Mullings was stuffed at the line by Nick Bolton, forcing fourth down. Tennessee elected to throw, but Ward’s short pass toward tight end Griffin Helm fell incomplete, giving the Chiefs the ball on downs near midfield.
Kansas City took over near midfield but went backward quickly. Minshew opened the series with a short throw to Pacheco that lost three yards, then checked down to Pacheco again on the left side, where the running back gained six yards back to the Kansas City 48. On third-and-7, Minshew looked for Kelce on a short route but could not connect. Araiza punted from his own 48, dropping the ball inside the 10, where Cody Dike called for a fair catch to end another brief Chiefs possession.
Tennessee began the drive backed up near its own goal line, with Pollard breaking out of the end zone on a 10-yard run. The Titans tried to build momentum through the air, but Cameron Ward’s short completion to Van Jefferson gained only nine yards and a false start by Udoh stalled the drive. Pollard picked up four yards on the ground, and Ward converted a third down by finding Dike for nine yards along the right sideline. After Pollard added six yards on a run, Ward dumped the ball to Spears for a short gain. Facing third-and-3, Ward hit tight end Okonkwo for 15 yards to move the chains. The Chiefs’ defense responded when Karlaftis dropped Ward for an eight-yard sack, forcing third-and-long. Ward’s deep attempt for Dike fell incomplete, setting up fourth down and ending the possession.
Kansas City took over at its own 6-yard line late in the first quarter. Minshew started the drive with a quick completion to Smith-Schuster for 12 yards to give the Chiefs breathing room. On the next snap, Minshew took a deep shot down the left side intended for Worthy, but the play was wiped out by an offsides penalty on Arden Key, moving the ball to the 18. Minshew then missed Worthy deep again on first down, before Pacheco powered the offense forward with consecutive runs — a three-yard carry to the 26 and another three yards to the 29 — setting up a short-yardage situation as the quarter wound down.
Second quarter
The Chiefs opened the second quarter facing third-and-10, but Minshew was incomplete to Smith-Schuster and then to Kelce on back-to-back plays. Araiza punted from his own 29, sending the ball to the Tennessee 38, where Dike returned it four yards to the 42 to end the drive.
Tennessee began the drive at its own 42 early in the second quarter. Cameron Ward took a deep shot down the left sideline intended for Elic Ayomanor, but the pass fell incomplete, and safety Bryan Cook was injured on the play. On second down, Ward checked the ball down to tight end Gunnar Helm for a seven-yard gain to the Tennessee 49, but the drive stalled when Nick Bolton burst through on third down to sack Ward for an eight-yard loss back at the 41. Johnny Hekker punted from there, sending a 46-yard kick to the Kansas City 13, where Nikko Remigio made a fair catch. The Chiefs were backed up further after an illegal block above the waist penalty on the return, setting Kansas City up deep in its own territory.
Titans Force Safety
Pinned deep after the false start by left tackle Pole backed the Chiefs up to their own three, Kansas City tried to create breathing room with a straight-ahead run, but Hunt was met immediately. Simmons shot through the interior, wrapped Hunt in the end zone and dragged him down for a two-yard loss, resulting in a safety that gave Tennessee a 2–0 lead.
Tennessee took over near midfield and immediately leaned on Pollard. Pollard picked up two yards on a left tackle from the Kansas City 48, but linebacker Tranquill jarred the ball loose at the end of the play. Pollard was able to recover his own fumble at the Kansas City 46. After a short gain by Pollard on the right side, Jones and Gillotte combined to limit the run to three yards and force a timeout. On third-and-5, Ward’s pass toward Dike fell incomplete, bringing on the punt unit. A delay-of-game penalty backed Tennessee up five yards, but Hekker still delivered a strong punt, pinning Kansas City deep. Remigio fielded the kick at the five and broke free up the right sideline, returning it 31 yards to the Chiefs’ 36 to flip field position.
Butker drills from long range after Oladokun steps in
With Minshew out, Chris Oladokun entered at quarterback as Kansas City began the drive at its own 36. Pacheco set the tone with a six-yard run, then added gains of five and four yards on the next two plays to move the chains and push the ball near midfield. After another Pacheco carry picked up five more, the Chiefs faced third-and-1 near the Tennessee 44. Hunt converted with a two-yard plunge up the middle for the lone Hunt carry of the drive. Oladokun followed with an incomplete pass, then hit Kelce over the middle for six yards to reach the Tennessee 36. On third-and-4, Oladokun’s pass intended for Smith-Schuster fell incomplete, bringing on Butker. Butker calmly drilled a 54-yard field goal to finish the drive and extend Kansas City’s lead,
Titans strike late before halftime
Tennessee took over deep in its own territory and leaned on the run game early, with Spears picking up short yardage before a no-gain stop set up third down. Ward moved the chains with a short completion to Ayomanor, and Spears followed with an 11-yard run to push the ball across midfield. After another short carry was stuffed, Ward found Spears leaking out of the backfield for a 34-yard gain down to the Kansas City 13. Spears added a two-yard run, then ripped off a 15-yard carry to the Kansas City 9 just before the two-minute warning. Following a one-yard conversion by Chestnut, Spears was held to a short gain to set up second-and-goal. From there, Ward delivered a shuffle pass to Okonkwo, who secured the seven-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 9–6 lead late in the second quarter.
Chiefs trim deficit before halftime
Taking over with just over a minute remaining, Oladokun kept the offense on schedule by scrambling for five yards to start the drive. He followed by hitting Worthy on a quick out for 13 yards to midfield, then connected twice with Brown to move the ball into Tennessee territory. A no-huddle completion to Brown for 18 yards pushed the Chiefs to the Titans’ 26. Oladokun checked down to Pacheco on consecutive plays, the second pushing the ball inside the 25 and setting up third down. With the clock winding down, Butker drilled a 41-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, cutting Tennessee’s lead to 9–6 heading into halftime.
Third quarter
Titans extend lead with methodical opening drive of the third quarter
Tennessee opened the second half by leaning on quick throws and chunk plays to flip the field. Ward started the drive with a short completion to Helm, then mixed in a Pollard run before hitting Ayomanor deep down the right sideline for 25 yards to cross midfield. After Spears picked up a couple of tough yards on the ground, Ward struck again, finding Dike down the left side for a 30-yard gain to the Kansas City 12. The Titans stayed patient in the red zone, with short throws to Spears moving the ball closer. On third-and-6, Spears caught a quick pass and was tackled just short of the goal line. One play later, Ward flipped a short pass to Dike in the flat for a one-yard touchdown, pushing Tennessee’s lead to 16–6 early in the third quarter.
Kansas City responded with a quick-moving drive sparked by Pacheco. Starting from its own 25, Pacheco powered up the middle for five yards, then slipped out of the backfield for a short catch before breaking free on the next snap — a 31-yard reception that flipped the field and moved the Chiefs into Tennessee territory. Hunt added a tough inside run to set up a manageable third down, but Oladokun could not connect with Smith-Schuster on third-and-4. Butker was then called on for a 51-yard attempt, but the kick sailed wide right, leaving the score unchanged at 16–6 Titans.
Tennessee opened the possession with Pollard grinding out two yards on a left-side run from its own 41. Ward then came up empty on a short throw on second down before checking the ball down to Spears on third-and-long. Spears picked up seven yards to midfield, but it left the Titans short of the line to gain. Facing fourth-and-1, Ward tried to sneak it up the middle, but Jones met him at the line and stopped him cold, giving Kansas City the ball on a turnover on downs near midfield.
Kansas City took over near midfield after defensive pass interference on a deep shot intended for Smith-Schuster moved the ball into Titans territory. Oladokun followed with a short completion to Brown that lost yardage, but he responded by hitting Worthy for 28 yards to the Tennessee 7. Pacheco powered inside to the four to set up first-and-goal. After an incompletion, Oladokun was sacked by Harrell for an eight-yard loss and fumbled, but Smith recovered to keep the drive alive. Tennessee was then flagged for encroachment on the initial field-goal attempt, moving the ball closer. Butker connected from 27 yards, trimming the Titans’ lead to 16–9.
Tennessee carried momentum into the final period after a productive late-third-quarter drive. Ward scrambled for 11 yards to cross midfield, and a penalty on Kansas City helped keep the series alive. Pollard handled most of the early work, grinding out yards on the ground to move the ball into Chiefs territory as the third quarter expired.
Fourth quarter
Tennessee appeared to extend the score with a 51-yard field goal by Joey Slye, but the kick was wiped out by a Kansas City offsides penalty. The Titans stayed aggressive, and Ward made the Chiefs pay by lofting a deep pass down the left side to Ayomanor, who beat zone coverage for a 24-yard gain to the Kansas City 4. Two plays later, Spears took a handoff left and slipped into the end zone from four yards out, pushing Tennessee’s lead to 23–9.
Pinned deep in its own territory early in the fourth quarter, Kansas City’s offense unraveled quickly. Facing first-and-10 at the 16, Oladokun took a deep shot down the left side to Worthy, but the pass fell incomplete. A neutral zone infraction on Tennessee briefly gave the Chiefs some breathing room, but they immediately gave it back with a false start that pushed them behind the sticks again. Oladokun then scrambled right for a short two-yard gain before another false start backed Kansas City up even further. On third-and-long, Williams burst through to drop Oladokun at the 2-yard line for an 11-yard loss, effectively killing the drive and keeping the Chiefs pinned deep in their own end.
