How far have the Kansas City Chiefs fallen? Pretty darn far, based the fact that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is predicting that the Tennessee Titans will beat the Chiefs, 20-17, on Sunday.
The fact that this kind of prediction is even in play at all is noteworthy. PFT’s predictions are among the most widely read in the NFL and beyond, and Florio’s prediction was based in part on his note that the Chiefs will be “playing out the string” for the first time in a long time. Colleague Chris Simms had the Chiefs winning 16-10, and this game was one of five where they disagree in their predictions.
Beyond that, this prediction represents an interesting referendum of sorts on the Chiefs’ final three games. Are they really going to mail it in, or will Kansas City give the modicum of effort necessary to beat a team like the Titans?
The Chiefs will be led by backup quarterback Gardner Minshew in this one, which raises an entirely different set of questions. Minshew was horrible when he stepped in for quarterback Patrick Mahomes after Mahomes sustained an ACL/LCL tear late in Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, to the point where he could barely get the offense organized to run a play. He then threw a disastrous interception on what turned out to be the Chiefs’ final offensive play, which ended whatever chances they had of tying or winning the game.
It’s hard to imagine Minshew being brought back after that inept performance, but he does have a chance to redeem himself to some extent here. The game itself doesn’t matter much, but he’s a career backup who’s always looking to keep his existing job or put up some decent tape for his next one.
The Titans, meanwhile, are in a very different position. They’re playing for draft position, basically, and to potentially develop quarterback Cam Ward, who’s had endure a midseason firing when coach Brian Callahan was dismissed in midseason.
It’s hard to tell what Tennessee is doing at this point. The Titans’ 31-29 win over the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago jeopardized their chances to secure another top draft pick in 2026, and it let the Las Vegas Raiders back in the picture as a possibility. This will definitely be a strange game given all the different motivations that are in play, and no one really knows what will happen when these two teams take the field.