The Tennessee Titans jumped out to a quick lead and didn't look back on Sunday as they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-3, in a clash between AFC foes at Nissan Stadium.
Tennessee tallied points on each of its first five possessions while holding the Chiefs scoreless until early in the third quarter, controlling the game throughout before dealing Kansas City its fourth loss of the season.
"Listen, they made more plays than we did," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "I've seen our guys make the plays [that we need to], we're just not doing it right now…We need to get both sides playing well. We'll go back and look at it – we need to eliminate the turnovers and penalties. These are things that haven't been common for us, and we need to fix it."
Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 20-of-35 passes for 206 yards and two interceptions in the game, marking his first regular-season game without a touchdown pass since midway through the 2019 campaign. Mahomes, who cleared concussion protocol after suffering a big hit late in the fourth quarter, discussed the performance following the game.
"We came in here trying to build on the momentum we [built] last week and we didn't do that," Mahomes said. "We have enough leaders on this team, we have to find a way [to get better]. We'll go in, we'll talk about it, and we'll figure it out. I trust that we'll find it. That's what part of being a great team [is all about]. You have to battle through adversity. It's been rainbows and flowers these last few years, but when you want to build something substantial and great, you're going to go through [times] like this."
It wasn't the Chiefs' day, but the game did feature some strong performances from Kansas City's young duo of linebackers. Rookie Nick Bolton racked up a team-leading 15 tackles in the contest, including four tackles-for-loss. Willie Gay, meanwhile, recorded his first interception of his career late in the game.
Bolton's efforts, in particular, helped keep Titans' tailback Derrick Henry – who leads the NFL in rushing yards – to a relatively modest total, but Tennessee made up for it through the air as Titans' quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 21-of-27 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown while ultimately leading Tennessee to the victory.
In terms of injuries, Coach Reid mentioned defensive lineman Chris Jones (groin) and safety Tyrann Mathieu (ribs) following the game.
The Chiefs will look to get back on track next week with a tilt against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football on deck.
