Tennessee Titans - Kansas City Chiefs
Time: August 28, 8:00 ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City, MO
Line: Kansas City Chiefs (-4)
What to Watch for:
How will Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota continue to develop after a strong performance last week?
After a rough start against the Atlanta Falcons, Marcus Mariota bounced back in a huge way against the St. Louis Rams in the Titan's latest game. In the opener Mariota began his career throwing one interception, and following that up by fumbling the ball on the next drive. Mariota finished the second game 5-8 for 59 yards with no touchdowns, but also no turnovers. The development of Marcus Mariota will be a big thing to watch throughout the Titans 2015 season.
What will happen with the Chiefs merry go round of an offensive line?
Right now the Chiefs offensive line is a mess. This is due to injuries, camp battles, and other minor problems. Two likely starters on the offensive line, Eric Fisher and Jeff Allen, are both injured right now. According to ESPN, the Chiefs have been rotating between Zach Fulton and Laurnet Duverny-Tardif at the right guard position. During this big mess, we'll just have to wait and see how the Chiefs O-line looks against the Titans on Friday night.
Players to Watch: Running back Bishop Sankey (Titans)
Early in the start of training camp, it was reported that second year back Bishop Sankey would potentially lose carries to rookie David Cobb. That may no longer be the case as Sankey turned in a very impressive game against the Rams. Bishop finished with 6 carries for 45 yards. After a sluggish first game in which he had 8 carries for a lowly 15 yards, Sankey bounced back in a huge way. If Sankey can keep up the impressive play, he likely won't be losing carries anytime soon.
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (Chiefs)
New Chiefs receiver Jeremy Maclin had a good game last week, finishing with 3 catches for 22 yards and a touchdown. It was the first Chiefs touchdown by a receiver in 594 days. Now, Alex Smith has a deep threat he never had while in KC, until now. If Maclin plays all season like he played last week, Smith should have no problem throwing touchdowns to receivers anymore.
Biggest Injuries: Cornerback Jason McCourty (Titans)
Titans defensive playmaker Jason McCourty is recovering from recent groin surgery. McCourty will miss the rest of the preseason but it is not known whether he will miss any of the regular season. If McCourty can't play week one, it will be a huge loss for the Titans defense. For now, the Titans can only hope McCourty is able to be back by week one.
Offensive tackle Eric Fisher (Chiefs)
Fisher's injury is a huge blow for the Chiefs offense. The former first overall pick's injury has caused the Chiefs O-line to go into a state of disarray. Until Fisher is back and healthy the Chiefs offensive line will continue to be a mess and disorganized.
Prediction:
This will be a good game between two AFC teams. In the end the Chiefs depth will prove to be too much for the Titans.
Chiefs 27, Titans 21