KC Chiefs: Five things to watch vs Titans in AFC Championship Game

The Lamar Hunt Trophy is on the line this weekend as the KC Chiefs host the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game!

For the second consecutive year, the AFC will run through Arrowhead Stadium. This is the situation that the Kansas City Chiefs were hoping would happen, but after a week ten loss to the Tennessee Titans, it didn’t seem all that likely.

Well, the Chiefs haven’t lost since that day when they blew a big lead and had all kinds of miscues. Even still, the Titans only won by three points with all they had given to them in that game.

Let’s take a look at what fans should be watching for and keeping in mind during the AFC title game.

HENRY PROBABLY WON’T BE STOPPED

It’s no secret that Derrick Henry is a beast and has been one of the main reasons the Titans have made it this far in the playoffs. In the Titans’ last eight games, Henry has rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of them. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and 102.7 yards per game during the regular season and is nearly impossible to bring down.

So, yeah, the chances of Kansas City actually stopping Henry aren’t all that likely. That’s okay though because this game won’t be won on the back of Henry, but rather Ryan Tannehill being forced to make plays and the Titans defense attempting to stop the Chiefs offense.

Henry has been sensational in the playoffs, but even with his outrageous numbers in the Wild Card Game, the Patriots still had a chance to win that game in the final seconds. Had the Ravens not abandoned doing what makes them great in the Divisional Round, that loss probably isn’t as lopsided as it ended up being.

Yes, Henry is a tremendous football player and he’s going to get his carries and his yardage this weekend. That won’t be what wins Tennessee the game though.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE RYAN TANNEHILL

I mentioned that in order for the Titans to win, Ryan Tannehill will have to throw the ball more than he has been doing in his two previous games. He’s attempted just 29 passes in the Titans’ previous two playoff games and that won’t get the job done against the Kansas City Chiefs.

All of that being said, Tannehill might not be the reason Tennessee has gotten to this point, but when asked to step up and make a crucial throw on third down, the Titans quarterback has done so. He’s doing what’s asked of him, even if it’s in limited opportunities.

Yes, Tannehill is going to have to be the one stepping it up if the Titans want to pull off the upset on Sunday, but Chiefs fans shouldn’t count him out of doing so. He helped Tennessee big time the first time these two teams met up in week ten and don’t count him out of doing so again this time around.