The Tennessee Titans are going to have the deck stacked heavily against them in Week 9 when they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
And the line from Las Vegas reflects that, as the Titans are a massive 12.5-point underdog to the Chiefs, per Tipico Sportsbook, tied for the largest spread for Week 9. The over/under is set at 46.5.
Tennessee enters this game with one of the best defenses in the NFL, but their offense ranks dead-last in yards per game, second-to-last in passing yards per game, and 24th in scoring.
It’s going to take a monumental effort from Tennessee’s defense and running back Derrick Henry, who has been playing great of late, to win this game.
Adding to their concerns, quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who sat out last week with an ankle injury and illness, isn’t certain to play, which would leave rookie Malik Willis as the starter once again.
Granted, the Titans’ passing offense struggled under Tannehill, also, but it was very clear Willis wasn’t ready for primetime in Week 8.
While the Chiefs and Titans both have a 5-2 record, the way the Chiefs have gotten there has looked far better. Their offense is clicking and the defense is playing well enough to support that. Kansas City will be missing one of their best defenders, though, as d-lineman Frank Clark is currently suspended.
Making this battle more interesting is the fact that the Titans and Chiefs are No. 2 and No. 3 in the conference, respectively.
That means the winner would not only secure the No. 2 seed going into Week 10, they’d also have the all-important head-to-head tie-breaker, which may have massive implications for seeding down the road.
The Titans are 5-2 against the spread but have hit the over just twice. The Chiefs are just 3-4 against the spread but have hit the over four times.
Tennessee and Kansas City will kickoff from Arrowhead at 8:20 p.m. EDT on Sunday night.
