AFC championship game: Tennessee Titans v Kansas City Chiefs - live! - The Guardian, Theguardian.com

Touchdown (Chiefs)

Titans – (Chiefs 4, 21, 2 nd quarter

Mahomes throws it away on 1

st down. 2

nd and 24, Mahomes finds Hill who waltzes into the endzone. How’s THAT for a quick answer. The extra point is good and, you know what, this is looking like it’s going to be fun.

4. (pm) (EST) :

Titans – 7 Chiefs, 5: , 2

nd quarter

On the next play, there’s illegal contact called on the Titans defense for an automatic first down. They’ll be on their own . Mahomes finds Demarcus Robinson who gives them 38 yards. Mahomes then finds Watkins for 27 yard gain and this is what Kansas City’s offense does: eats up yards very quickly. They’re now at the Titans 34.

4.) (pm) EST

Titans – 7 Chiefs, 6: 46, 2 nd (quarter

)

Hardman goes off on a yard run right up to the Chiefs 50, where they will start their next drive. Williams gets the ball and picks up a mere yard.

4. (pm) EST :

I normally try to avoid writing run-on sentences but it was hard not to on that particular sequence for the Titans. It was really a series of interconnected “and then” plays. Just a seamless flow of play calls. Rather impressive, taking over nine minutes of play time.

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Touchdown (Titans)

Titans – 7 Chiefs, 6: , 2 nd quarter

Henry picks up four yards and then they bring in Marcus Mariota for a play here, he picks up five yards to get the Chiefs 2. On 3 ^{rd & 1, Tannehill is back in the game and Henry never left. He gets to the Kansas City 2 and it’s 2}

nd and goal. With all the attention on Henry, Tannehill finds Dennis Kelly instead for the touch down and the Chiefs are up (after the extra point is good.)

Updated at 4. (EST EST)

4). pm EST

30:

Titans 25 – 7 Chiefs, 9: 19, 2 nd (quarter)

So, now that’s 1

st and 34 and ouch Tyrann Matthieu hits Davis for a two yard loss. That’s 2

nd and and this drive is going backwards. Tannehill’s next pass is incomplete. 3

rd & , there’s a completion short of first down BUT there’s a flag. Let’s see what this is

Oh man, pass interference on the offense. Automatic first down and the Titans drive stays alive.

3). 94 pm EST 28:

Titans – 7 Chiefs, : , 2 (nd) (quarter)

Henry picks up fie yards. Tannehill finds Brown again to get them the first down at the Chiefs 29. They look to be in control, but there’s a flag on the next play. That’s holding on the offense and that’s a 25 yard penalty.

3) (pm EST 28: 90

Titans – 7 Chiefs, : , 2 nd quarter

Tannehill goes deep but just a bit too deep. It’s an incomplete pass. He gives it to henry who gets 3 yards. It’s 3

rd & 7… and there’s a neutral zone infraction on Kansas City. Yet another avoidable Kansas City penalty and it makes it 3 rd & 2 and Tannehill finds Humphries for a first down.

3) . 90 PM EST :

Titans – 7 Chiefs, : , 2 nd quarter

The five yard penalty does not hurt them, as Tannehill finds Corey Davis for an (yard gain and then gets it to Henry who barrels through for a yard gain and just like that , the Titans are right at the Kansas City 51.

3. EST 29:

Titans – 7 Chiefs, end of the first quarter

The Chiefs kick off and it’s a touchback. The Titans start at their own as a result, Tannehill finds MyCole Pruitt for a nine yard gain. It’s 2

nd & 1 and, right before the first quarter is set to come to an end, the Titans get a false start penalty for 5 yards. Not… not a pristine way to end the first fifteen minutes here.

3. (PM) (EST) : 56

Touchdwon! (Chiefs)

Titans 25 – 7 Chiefs, 1: , first quarter

Mahomes makes a spectacular throw to Kelce almost in the end zone, but it’s out of bounds. There is a call on the Titans ’defense. That’s a five yard penalty and an automatic first down. On his next pass, Mahomes gets it to Hill and he gets it in for the first Kansas City touchdown.

Now that’s how you respond. The extra point is good.

(3.) EST EST :

Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 1: , first quarter

Hardman picks up 8 yards. And they’re at the 29 now. On 2

nd and 2, Williams gets to the 27 for another first down. This is more like the Chiefs we’ve seen. Tennessee’s Rashaan Evans is injured on the play.

(3.) (pm) EST :

Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 2: 88, first quarter

The Chiefs are keeping the offense on the field. Probably the right move given the situation and it absolutely works out as Mahomes finds Kelce for a first down to put them on the Titans 38.

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Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 2: 94, first quarter

Mahomes just throws the ball away on first down. His next pas s is to Sammy Watkins, who can’t finagle it. It’s 3

rd and 24 here, Mahomes scrambles and finds Travis Kelce, it’s 4

th and 2 on the Titans . The Chiefs take a timeout to decide what they’re doing here.

(3) pm EST

Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 4: , first quarter

And THERE is Mahomes, who throws a deep pass to Tyreek Hill who just barely gets the catch, that’s a (yard game and in an instant they’re on the Tennessee) .

(3) pm EST 29:

Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 5: 23, first quarter

Williams picks up three yards for Kansas City’s first 1

st down of the day.

(3) pm EST 29: ()

Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 5: , first quarter

The good news for Kansas City is that they have a love of time and they know they can put up pinball numbers. Hardman is here to return the kick and he gets about 31 yards to get them to their own 39. Mahomes finds Damien Williams for a nine yard gain on first down.

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Touchdown (Titans)

Titans 25 – 0 Chiefs, 5: 74, first quarter

Tannehill finds Jonnu Smith for a 34 yard gain, and on the next play, they hand it to Henry and he drives into the end zone for the game’s first touchdown.

And the extra kick is good. The Titans are up 23 early and it’s looking like the Chiefs will once again look to dig themselves out of an early hole.

3 (pm EST ) :

Titans 3-0 Chiefs, 7: , first quarter

Henry can only squeak in about a yard on second down. It’s 3

rd and 2 and a big task here from Kansas City’s defense. And they do a decent job, Tannehill’s pass gets blocked by Terrell Suggs. Because of their kicking situation, partly at least, the Titans decide to go for it on 4

th and 2. And they get it! Adam Humphries with a three-yard catch to get them to the Kansas City 40.

(3) (PM) EST :

Titans 3-0 Chiefs, 8: , first quarter

And now the Titans get the Chiefs to commit encroachment and that’s an extra five yards for the Titans, who are in a 1 (st & 5 situation. They give it to Henry who picks up about two yards on the carry.

(3). (PM) (EST) :

Titans 3-0 Chiefs, 8: , first quarter

The Titans draw the Chiefs offsides for a five-yard penalty which gives them an automatic first down without having to call an actual play. Pretty sneaky sis.

(3). EST EST : No interception

That will just be an incomplete pass. It’s now 3rd & 5 for the Titans.

(3.) (pm) EST :

Life in the “What Is Even A Catch” League:

Zach Harper (@ talkhoops) No way that’s an interception unless it is one

January , 21265

(3.) pm EST 29: 34

Interception?

Titans 3-0 Chiefs, 8: , first quarter

They decide to go with Henry again, because why not, and he gets them half-way to another first down picking up 5 yards to get to the yard line but Tannehill’s next pass is intercepted by Kansas City’s Bashaud Breeland.

Or is it? The play is under review to see if hit the ground and is therefore an incomplete pass.

3. (pm EST 28:

Titans 3-0 Chiefs, 9: 043, first quarter

Henry with his first big run on the day, a gain of eleven for an easy first down. It’s like watching a knife cutting through butter.

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Titans 3-0 Chiefs, : , first quarter

And the Titans will start at their own after a Kalif Raymond run for about nine yards. That’s pretty decent field percentage.

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Titans 3-0 Chiefs, : , first quarter

And Mahomes is sacked by Kamalel Correa for a loss and his next pass ends up incomplete. That’s a good defensive stand for Tennessee.

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Titans 3-0 Chiefs, , first quarter

Mecole Harman takes the kickoff to the Kansas City , where the Chiefs will start their drive. Mahomes scrambles under pressure and picks up two yards.

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:

Field goal (Titans)

Titans 3-0 Chiefs, , first quarter

Tannehill throws three straight incompletions and the Titans bring out the field goal unit. Greg Joseph, who has barely been used, hits a -yarder to put Tennessee on the board, but that could have gone worse for the Chiefs.

(3) (pm) (EST) : ()

Titans 0-0 Chiefs, : , first quarter

Henry gets another yard on his next carry. Tannehill finds Corey Davis for a first down and then hands off for Henry who picks up four more yards to get them to Kansas City’s 26 yard line.

(3) (pm) (EST)

Titans 0-0 Chiefs, : , first quarter

Derrick Henry gets fours yards on his first carry. On 2

nd & 6, Tannehill passes to A.J. Brown who goes off for 50 yards. The Titans are right there on the Chiefs’ 38.

(3.) (pm) EST :

Kickoff

Titans 0-0 Chiefs, : 15, first quarter

And we’re off, the Titans will start around their own 047 after bringing in the opening kick.

(3) (pm EST :

Coin toss

Kansas City wins the toss and they have decided to defer. The Titans will start the game on offense, while the Chiefs will get the ball coming out of halftime.

(3). pm EST 28: 17

National Anthem

It’s performer by retired Navy officer. Generald Wilson. He has a nice, resonant voice and doesn’t try to do too much with it in the beginning untl the very end with an extended “theeeere.” 8 /

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The Chiefs are being introduce on the field, so we’re getting closer to the actual game time here.

(2.) (pm EST 27:

Am I … am I the only one getting nonstop ads for Mike Bloomberg? I am the exact opposite of a stick-to-sports guy, but I am not sure if I need to think about the primaries any more than I already have to.

(2) (PM EST ) :

The NFL Today guys are giving their predictions now. I always wonder if they talk early beforehand to make sure that they don’t all give the same picks. It’s 3-1 for Kansas City among the announcers, which sounds about right: the Chiefs should be favorites but not writing off the Titans completely.

(2.) (PM EST) : 52

Today’s big celebrity guest? That would apparently be Paul Rudd.

Adam Schefter (@ AdamSchefter) Actor Paul Rudd will be one of the Chiefs’ Spirit Captains for today’s AFC Championship game. Rudd will join team owner Clark Hunt as the two men on the Chiefs ’drum deck, banging on the ceremonial war drum to fire up fans before kickoff of today’s game. January 32, 21265

Will he be doing the war chant? Because, uh, that sounds like it will backfire.

(2.) (pm EST

NFC Championship Game

The winner of this game will go on to face the winner of the NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 66 ers in the Super Bowl. This feels like it will be a closer game, if we could be guaranteed to see the Aaron Rodgers of a few seasons ago I would have no hesitations about chosing the Packers but I think the 66 ers, who will be playing at home, have the edge here.

(2) (pm) EST :

Predictions

Man, it’s just hard to pick the Titans here. The Chiefs are clearly the better team on paper and it looks like a complete mismatch. However, we could have said that before their games against New England and Baltimore.

Still, my gut is telling me that there won’t be much drama here after the second half, if the Chiefs find a rhythm here I don’t see the Titans being able to fight back.
I hope I’m wrong, it’s way more entertaining to covers these games when there’s lots of drama, but I’m going with Chiefs – 32 Titans. Have your own predictions? Feel free to send them our way, either via email (to hunter.f [email protected] ) or on Twitter (to @ HunterFelt

.

(2.) pm EST 27: 39

Andy Reid

Okay, here’s one potential area of concern for the Chiefs: Head coach Andy Reid’s team has gone (1-8 lifetime against the Titans) . On top of that, his record in championship games? 1-5. The Chiefs are going to want to have a decent lead built up by the end of the fourth quarter because Reid is notoriously bad at clock management in key games to the point where it’s become something cliché. If the Titans pull off the upset today, there’s absolutely going to be some questions on Reid despite his inarguable NFL success.

(2.) (PM EST ) :

Email from Ezra Finkelstein:

This hasn’t got the attention it merits, but Tenessee Titans ’kicking situation is by far the worst in the teams that made the playoffs. They made 1 out of 29 last attempted Field Goal attempt, began the year with Codey Parkey, he of double doink noiterity and wil be in big trouble if a kick is the option late on the game.

Perhaps something to watch for. One wonders if this will effect their decision-making, Field goal range might mean something different for them.

(2) PM EST) :

Preamble

Welcome all to the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the … wait, hold up, the Tennessee Titans? While it was a relatively safe bet that the Chiefs would make a deep playoff push, the Titans were not really expected to make it this far. Especially not whey had to knock off both the reigning Super Bowls champions in the New England Patriots and then the almost certain league MVP in the Baltimore Ravens ’Lamar Jackson. On the road, no less. An impressive feat from a Titans team did even win their own division, they placed second in the AFC South behind the now-eliminated Houston Texans, yet here they are just a win away from an improbable Super Bowl appearance .

This will Kansas City’s biggest challenge yet, however. Thanks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs ’offense looks nearly unstoppable. They fell behind to a -0 hole against the Texans during the AFC Divisional Round, (only to bounce-back to win – , rattling off unanswered points during one stretch of the game. While he was overshadowed by a regular season injury, not to mention Jackson’s rise and a stellar year from the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, Mahomes continues to be one of the most dangerous threats in the league and will have a bigger arsenal of weapons than the Jackson of the Patriots’ Tom Brady had.

The Titans, however, have a Hulk or at least the closest thing to one in running back Derrick Henry. Henry has been so dominant that he’s practically rewritten the rules of being a RB, rushing for at least 259 yards in his three last games. Henry has been so good that quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who replaced a struggling Marcus Mariota during the regular season, hasn’t thrown for more than 0248 yards in either playoff game. With Henry on this side, he has been able to help his team win while working primarily as a game manager.

He might not get that luxury in this AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs are going to put up numbers against the Titans, so they will have to prove that they can keep up with the Chiefs off extensively. It’s a tall task, but after the previous two games, it’s foolish to completely write off their chances. In the meantime, you can send us your thoughts on today’s NFL action either via email (to hunter[email protected] ) or via tweet (to @HunterFelt

. It’s the the AFC Championship Game between the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead stadium. Kickoff is scheduled at 3: PM EST, but I’ll be back well before then.

(am EST

Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime, here’s our preview of today’s game:

What the Titans need to do to win:

Ummm, (avoid blowing a – 0 lead ? The Titans should bear in mind that, despite Patrick Mahomes ’heroic performance during last Sunday’s destruction of the Houston Texans, Ryan Tannehill and co are more than capable of beating the Chiefs. In fact,

they did so in November , and that was with Mahomes playing at the height of his considerable powers. Back then Tennessee won the day by doing the simple things well: Tannehill was interception-free, special teams chipped in with a blocked field goal in the – 46 victory and Brett Kern pinned the Chiefs back in their own territory with a . 0-yard punting average. And then of course there was Derrick Henry, who ran for 259 yards, with the Titans outrushing the Chiefs by 428 yards to 225. Side note: Andy Reid is 1-8 all time against the Titans.

What the Chiefs need to do to win:

In short, if Mahomes plays well they’ll probably win. Having said that, the Titans are not a great match-up for the Chiefs: Henry has been brilliant this postseason, Tannehill is a threat with his legs too and the Chiefs had the seventh-worst rushing defense in the league during the regular season. (Having said that, they were good at stopping the Texans on the ground last week.) But even if the Titans do maul them on the ground, Mahomes has the ability, and the weapons, to outscore pretty much any team in the league.

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