Opening Line: Chiefs -5.5
Over/Under: 43

Time: 1 PM EST Sunday December 18, 2016 on CBS

Tennessee Titans (7-6) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (10-3)

Both of these teams have something in common, as they are in first place in their respective divisions. The Titans beat the Denver Broncos in their last game and they are now tied with the Houston Texans atop the AFC South. Tennessee has won three of their last four games and while they had nearly 100 fewer yards than the Broncos in their last game they only held them to 10 points. DeMarco Murray paces their 3rd ranked rushing offense, which ranks 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards per game.

The Chiefs are coming off a big win where they beat AFC West rival the Oakland Raiders, who they are now tied with atop the division. Their fate is in their hands, as they have beaten Oakland twice already this season. Their defense was solid in the win and while their offense is not a dynamic one and the run game has been decent, at least, Alex Smith has gotten it done and has limited mistakes under center.

In their last games the Titans beat the Denver Broncos 13-10 and the Chiefs beat to the Oakland Raiders 21-13.

On the season the Titans are 5-8 ATS with an O/U record of 9-4 and the Chiefs are 7-6 ATS with an O/U record of 4-9.

Tennessee QB Marcus Mariota had a game to forget in the win over Denver going 6/20 for 88 yards with no TD and no INT, but Murray was productive for 92 rushing yards and he averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Their D forced two turnovers in the game and that was key in the defensive battle. KC is solid at forcing turnovers and Mariota has not thrown an interception in his last four games.

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Kansas City ranks 8th in the NFL in opponents’ points per game even though they only rank 18th in pass defense and 27th in run defense. Murray had struggled for a couple of straight games before a solid showing in the win over Denver and containing him will be key for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have won three in a row and eight of their last nine games and on top of that they are 5-1 at home. While Smith has not put up huge numbers he only has five INT on the season and in the Oakland win he passed for 264 yards with a TD and an INT. He does not have a big name WR corps, but they have been playing well and they have had to with the lack of the rushing attack.

The Chiefs’ lead RB is Spencer Ware, who only averaged 2.8 yards per carry for a total of 56 yards in the Raiders win. Tennessee ranks 2nd to last in the NFL in pass defense, but 3rd in run defense.

Tennessee at Kansas City Betting Trends

• The Titans are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 road games, and they have an Over record of 4-1 in their last 5 games.
• The Chiefs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record, and they have an Under record of 7-2 in their last 9 games.
• The favorite has covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games between these teams.

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs Prediction

The Titans can run the ball which should give the Chiefs fits. Kansas City has allowed four consecutive opponents to run for over 100 yards and reside in the bottom of the league in rushing yards allowed per game and in yards per attempt. The Titans defense has its own flaws. One word could describe Tennessee’s pass defense and that would be “awful”. The Titans defense has allowed over 300 passing yards in six of their last eight games averaging 307.7 yards per game over that stretch of games. Weather can be an issue in KC, so check the forecast before unloading.

Take the OVER 42