Can Marcus Mariota Run Tennessee Titans Past Kansas City Chiefs?

Kansas City(10-6) hosts Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans(9-7) in the NFL Playoffs Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans have not had a season reset in nine years. Following the 15-10 win last weekend vs Jacksonville, Tennessee opens the NFL Playoffs on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.

Marcus Mariota is healthy and could be the deciding factor for the Titans to win the game. He took control vs Jacksonville last week and the Tennessee Defense stepped up to a big challenge in the final quarter helping send Tennessee to the Playoffs.

In comparing Quarterbacks, Alex Smith has over 4000 yards through the air and 26 touchdowns on the season compared to Mariota who has thrown 13 touchdowns but has thrown 15 interceptions. Part of the problem is the Offensive scheme that Tennessee runs under Head Coach Mike Mularkey. The other problem – lack of experience with Wide Receivers this season. Injuries have also played a part.

Despite the adversity, Tennessee has an opportunity against Kansas City. The Titans can pull off the road win and need several things to go right. Mariota must be protected and use his legs to get first downs early. The road team needs to establish their Quarterback as a weapon early. The Defense simply needs to do what they did against Jacksonville, stack the box against Kareem Hunt and rely on an experienced secondary.

Tennessee Head Coach Mike Mularkey has been criticized most of the season and could be coaching his final game with the Titans vs Kansas City. If Tennessee can find the way to win, the road ahead gets tougher with a matchup against either Pittsburgh or New England.

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The Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs kick off at 1:25 pm Pacific Time on ESPN.