Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce will have his sights set on a personal achievement this Sunday as he closes in on a franchise record. The tight end has finished with at least 100 yards receiving in each of his last four games and will surpass Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez, who he currently shares the record with if he is able to repeat this feat at the weekend.
A win against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday will see the Kansas City Chiefs earn a playoff spot for the second consecutive year. The 10-3 Chiefs can make postseason football a certainty with two regular season games still to be played. Achieving this will mean a third trip to the playoffs in four years under the guidance of head coach Andy Reid.
Both teams enter in high spirits
Mike Mularkey’s 7-6 Titans promise to be a tough and motivated obstacle to overcome as they look to continue their fight with the Houston Texans, who are also 7-6, for the top spot in the AFC South division.
Tennessee will enter the weekend full of confidence after edging past the Denver Broncos with a 13-10 win over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The Chiefs come off the back of an equally impressive 21-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders in a crucial divisional matchup.
Coach Reid has expressed the importance of taking nothing for granted and preparing for one game at a time as his side close in on a playoff spot.
He told chiefs.com: "For the guys, we just have to focus in. Every game becomes the most important game. So, it should have been that way the whole time, this is the most important game. We have to maximize ourselves in this thing to get ourselves right to play against a good football team."
Tennessee’s rushing threat
The traveling Titans will undoubtedly bring the tools capable of derailing the Chiefs’ charge with DeMarco Murray spearheading the third best rushing attack in the NFL. Kansas City’s defense is ranked 27th against the run and will come up against a running back that is second in the league with nine touchdowns and 1,135 yards from 250 carries. Despite the dominance of his side’s running game, Murray believes the entire offense will be key.
He told titansonline.com: "We have passed the ball and didn’t run it and we've done just the opposite. So for us, we have enough playmakers to make plays and I think we have a great coaching staff which finds a way to get the job done. So whatever it takes to win, that is what we are going to do."
Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton had identified Murray and the Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry as two primary threats. He told chiefs.com: "Both of them are very capable players. To us, there's no drop-off. Both of them are physical guys. Both of them, in particular, 22 [Henry] for a big man which he is, he has the ability to bounce out and get outside the defense."
"They do a really good job at finishing runs – what we say – coming out the backend. It’s going to be a big challenge for our defense."