Chiefs @ Titans

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

http://hosted.stats.com/fb/preview.asp?g=20131006010&home=10&vis=12

 

(AP) -- While the Kansas City Chiefs try to remain undefeated, the Tennessee Titans hope an injury to their starting quarterback won't derail the team's strong start.

 

The Chiefs look to go 5-0 for the first time in 10 years Sunday when they visit a Titans team trying for its first three-game winning streak in two seasons.

 

After enduring the overall frustration of a franchise-worst 2-14 season in 2012, Kansas City is only focused on trying to maintain its best start since going 9-0 in 2003.

 

"We try not to even think about last year," receiver Dwayne Bowe said. "Every day we go day-by-day, and right now we're 4-0 and the target is on our back, and we have to keep pushing."

 

There are plenty of reasons why the Chiefs only should look forward. A win Sunday would make Kansas City the first team to win its first five games the season after winning two or fewer contests.

 

"The team is totally in, the coaches, the players," Bowe said. "It's all a family right now. We're a family organization. On all three sides of the ball we're doing good."

 

Kansas City has scored 26 or more points in three of four contests after doing so twice in 2012.

 

Despite throwing his first two interceptions of the season, Alex Smith threw three of his seven touchdowns in last Sunday's 31-7 rout of the New York Giants. With a victory this weekend, Smith would join Mike Livingston as the only quarterbacks to win their first five starts with the Chiefs.

 

Running back Jamaal Charles has overcome a quad injury and some recent foot problems to rank third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 125.5 per game.

 

"He wants the ball, which you appreciate," coach Andy Reid said. "I really appreciated it after I saw his feet and the blisters on them (last Sunday). The kid is a tough kid. He likes to play."

 

Reid, however, is uncertain if No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher will be healthy enough to take the field at right tackle after suffering a concussion against the Giants.

 

Defensively, the Chiefs allow a league-best 10.3 points per contest and have recorded an NFL-high 18 sacks.

 

Dustin Colquitt leads the league with 15 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and should be ready after he sprained his knee last weekend.

 

"We come out here and try to perfect our craft every single day and every practice," tight end Sean McGrath told the Chiefs' official website. "We just want to be as prepared as we can to face an opponent the next week."

 

Kansas City expects to face a serious challenge in Nashville, where the Titans (3-1) have won four in a row and will try to win three straight overall for the first time since Sept. 18-Oct. 2, 2011.

 

Tennessee will attempt to do so without quarterback Jake Locker, who, according to coach Mike Munchak, will miss a "few weeks" after suffering a sprained hip in the third quarter of last Sunday's 38-13 win over the New York Jets.

 

The third-year signal-caller, who missed five games with a shoulder injury during Tennessee's 6-10 season of 2012, completed 62.2 percent of his passes, threw six touchdowns, no interceptions and posted the AFC's third-best passer rating of 99.0 though four games.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who posted three straight 3,000-yard seasons in Buffalo, gets the start after he went 3 of 8 for 108 yards and a TD against the Jets.

 

"I was brought here for a reason, and the reason I was brought here was to help Jake out and be ready for a situation like this if it came up," said Fitzpatrick, who has thrown eight touchdowns and two picks while going 4-1 against the Chiefs.

 

He could have Kenny Britt back in the mix after the receiver missed last Sunday's contest with a rib injury.

 

With Fitzpatrick at the helm, the Titans have a chance to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to go the first five games of a season without committing a turnover. Tennessee and Kansas City are tied for the NFL lead in turnover differential at plus-9.

 

"It's discipline by the team," Munchak told the Titans' official website. "It's important to them. We work on it everyday. Hopefully it continues."

 

A Tennessee defense that is allowing 17.2 points per game (seventh in the league) and has recorded 14 sacks hopes for a better effort than the last time these teams met.

 

Bowe had 153 receiving yards and a TD and Charles amassed 117 total yards and scored twice in Kansas City's 34-14 home win over the Titans in 2010.

 

Britt had four receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown in that contest.

 

[KempBolt 498]

17

20

 

Coin flip game between very similar teams. I'll go with the home team.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Chiefs win by 14 due to some untimely Fitzpatrick turnovers. This would be a different game if Jake Locker were healthy.

[Cheese Head 11]

Without Locker at QB for the Titans it is going to be hard for the Titans to get it going.

 

Chiefs: 26

Titans: 13

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

 

I believe in the Beard.

[theMileHighGuy 656]

Different game if Locker is playing, but I still think the Chiefs would win. Defense is lights-out and Alex Smith is playing just good enough to win. Titans' o-line just can't open up enough for CJ to get the offense going.

 

23

14

[seanbrock 1,684]

This is going to be a defensive slug fest, but I think the Cheifs have a better defense and a QB who won't make critical mistakes.

 

 

19-10 KC

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

The Titans have the defense to force the mistakes the Chiefs usually avoid. That offense though, ugh. Also, I don't think Andy Reid has ever beaten the Titans... Although Andy is 17 - 2 when he is given extra time to prepare for a team (such as playing Thursday the week before).

Coin flip, indeed.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

20-17

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Kenny Britt is active for Week 5 against the Chiefs.

It'll be a blow to rookie Justin Hunter's playing time.

The Titans' Week 5 inactives are QB Jake Locker, RB Shonn Greene, CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson, DT Sammie Hill, OG Brian Schwenkie, OT Byron Stingily, and WR Michael Preston.

 

 

 

Chiefs declared TEs Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce, C Eric Kush, OT Eric Fisher, DL Jaye Howard, LB Nico Johnson, and QB Tyler Bray inactive for Week 5 against the Titans.

[AL_Royalty 489]

Chiefs score over 20 and win by two scores. Look out for Dwayne Bowe to have a pretty big game.

[Dutch 874]

This was a hard pick for me. I changed my pick like 4 times in pick em but I finally decided to go with the Titans. Alex Smith hasn't played a good defense yet and Fitzpatrick can be serviceable in my opinion. Really putting my trust in the Titans defense.

 

21

 

13

[KempBolt 498]

This was a hard pick for me. I changed my pick like 4 times in pick em but I finally decided to go with the Titans. Alex Smith hasn't played a good defense yet and Fitzpatrick can be serviceable in my opinion. Really putting my trust in the Titans defense.

 

21

 

13

 

This was my thinking, but apparently Fitzpatrick is not serviceable. They missed Locker in this game. Would have made a difference.

 

Meanwhile, Alex Smith and his inability to throw down the field and outside the numbers are ruining Dwayne Bowe's season. He's on track for 42-474-6.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Bowe should better himself and study film on his teammate Donnie Avery.

[KempBolt 498]

Bowe should better himself and study film on his teammate Donnie Avery.

 

IOW, run your routes inside the numbers and no more than 10 yards deep.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Only one player in the league has more catches of 40+ yards than Donnie Avery and he is Top 10 in catches of 20+ yards.

Don't just randomly fall into everyone else's rhetoric, Kemp. You are better than that.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Favre4Ever

[KempBolt 498]

Only one player in the league has more catches of 40+ yards than Donnie Avery and he is Top 10 in catches of 20+ yards.

 

Don't just randomly fall into everyone else's rhetoric, Kemp. You are better than that.

 

More than half of Avery's yards are YAC (107 out of 213). His catch points are generally within ten yards and inside the numbers.

 

97% of Smith's attempts have been within 20 yards of the LOS (141/146). 79% have come within 10 yards of the LOS (116/146). 53% of his attempts have been inside the numbers (78/146). And 55% of his 957 yards (523 yards) have been after the catch.

 

Don't just randomly assume I'm following the herd, Favre. You are better than that.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Oh right... Because those big gains don't count if they were accumulated with YAC. Silly me, I apologize.

Let's look at another QB though, just to see what Alex Smith is so terrible at doing. My numbers on Alex Smith seem to be slightly off of yours, I dunno if we are just using different sites or what, but take that for what it is worth.

I will give you my numbers for Alex as well just for the sake of argument. This doesn't include today's games though, unfortunately -- they aren't that quick.

Alex Smith
132/137 passes (96%) have traveled under 20 yards
106/137 passes (77%) have traveled under 10 yards.
78/137 passes (57%) have been inside the numbers.
47% of his yards come before the catch.

Peyton Manning
140/154 passes (90%) have traveled under 20 yards.
104/154 passes (67%) within 10 yards.
80/154 passes (52%) have been inside the numbers
51% of his yards come before the catch

Tom Brady
137/154 passes (89%) under 20
102/154 passes (66%) within 10
93/154 passes (60%) inside the numbers
53% of his yard come before the catch


Now... I know what you are thinking.. "OH WOW, you compared him to Peyton and Brady". Ya, I did.. Because both guys are two of the most successful QBs in NFL history and run similar offensive schemes as Alex Smith and the Chiefs.

Unsurprisingly.. The numbers are pretty damn similar. Yes, the numbers do slightly hover towards your argument, but if this same system is being utilized by two of the greatest QBs ever... It's WORKING! I hate this type of offense most usually... I really do. Mostly because I wish the Packers would play it smart and utilize it more often.

But you have 3 QBs, two of which are undoubted Hall of Famers using this system that are a combined 14 - 1 . That's insane.

In closing, I will do something here that very few members around these parts will even think about doing. I will concede part of, if not most of the point to you. I bow out... However, I still don't get why that is being viewed with such a negative connotation? Why is it such a bad thing? Or... at the very least being interpreted that way.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Favre4Ever

[KempBolt 498]

Doesn't it count for a lot that Manning is using that strategy to massively greater effect? I'd argue that in Smith's case, that approach is "broke." But when your defense is giving up an average of 11 pts per game, you can still win with Alex Smith checking down 80% of the time.

 

Smith: 108/185, 58.4%, 6.50 YPA, 7 TD, 3 INT

 

Manning: 150/198, 75.8%, 9.52 YPA, 20 TD, 1 INT

 

I also think it's a manipulation to compare Smith to Brady right now. Brady's situation and stats are clear outliers in his career at the moment.

 

But my original point was that Smith doesn't do much work down the field at all, which we've both been able to demonstrate with the numbers. Which is wise because over his career, bad things happen when he tries to push the ball deep. I just don't think that you can go anywhere in the playoffs with someone that limited, if you do indeed make the postseason. And I don't see why pointing that out is such an offense to Chiefs' fans. It's really just a compliment to the rest of their team. And an endorsement of how good they can be, should they find a more complete signal caller.

[oochymp 2,393]

does anyone have a gif or video of the apparently controversial hit on Alex Smith? it's gotten enough press that I'd like to see it but not being in the right market I couldn't watch the game live