As a Titans fan, this game was fun to watch. As a fan of the NFL, it was unpleasant.
The Kansas City Chiefs are a really bad football team.
Before the season began, I said the Chiefs had no chance to win this game, and that Tennessee’s players should be forced to walk home from Kansas City if they lost.
The Titans victory was as much a product of the Chiefs lack of talent and passion as it was a solid effort by the NFL’s best team.
Chiefs running back Larry Johnson did not play due to a team-imposed suspension. LenDale White, Chris Johnson and the Titans defensive line dominated the Chiefs this afternoon and rolled to a 6-0 record.
Story of the Game: Thunder and Lightning
LenDale “Thunder” White rumbled for 149 yards and three touchdown runs against the weak Chiefs run defense. White is no speedster and he managed to break an 80-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Chris “Lightning” Johnson ran for 168 yards. His touchdown run for 66 yards occurred later in the fourth quarter while the Titans were trying to run out the clock.
Johnson earned an unsportsmanlike conduct after his touchdown run after he began playing with a drum set he found near the end zone. No one on the Titans bench, including Coach Fisher, seemed upset at Johnson.
The Other Story of the Game: Titans D KO’s two Chiefs QBs
With no Larry Johnson, Kansas City’s hopes of winning today were in the hands of fragile Brodie Croyle. Croyle did not survive two quarters. He was knocked out of the game, and for the rest of the 2008 season, with a knee injury.
Backup QB Damon Huard played well, but he injured his thumb by hitting a player’s helmet after a pass attempt in the third quarter. Tyler Thigpen finished the game for the Chiefs and ended the Titans bid for a shutout by leading the team to a field goal and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Kerry Collins
Collins, as always, did what he was asked to do: manage the game and avoid turnovers. However, he looked a little off-target today, and the offense stalled (again) in the third quarter. Thankfully, the Titans were playing the Chiefs and didn’t have to generate a lot of passing yards.
Next Week: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are no longer a great football team. Next Monday night will be an opportunity for the nation to see the changing of the guard in the AFC South.
Even so, I expect this to be a tough game, and I hope that Kerry Collins’ lack of production doesn’t hurt the Titans’ ability to win this game. If it turns into an offensive shootout, the Titans might lose. If the Titans keep it close and keep the football out of Peyton Manning’s capable hands, they have a better chance of winning.
Go Titans!
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Watch video highlights of the Titans-Chiefs game by clicking here.
