Chiefs matchup with Tennessee may be toughest of final stretch

The fact that this matchup is wedged between two nationally-televised, division games with the two teams who, at press time, would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today, doesn’t help. The Chiefs saving grace may well be the fact that head coach Andy Reid had 10 days to get ready for this matchup. Having played last Thursday, the Chiefs were essentially afforded a second, unofficial bye week and Reid has quite the record with extra time to prepare. That’s likely to keep Kansas City from looking ahead to its Christmas Day game with the Denver Broncos.

The biggest storyline in the lead up to Sunday’s game is how the loss of All-Pro inside linebacker Derrick Johnson will affect the Chiefs’ ability to defend the NFL’s third-ranked rushing attack. On the one hand, he’s an irreplaceable piece whose athleticism, football IQ and leadership are invaluable to this defense. The Chiefs have bodies in house to fill in for Johnson, but none bring the kind of physical tools and intangibles to the role that he does.

On the other hand, defending the run starts up front and while Kansas City’s been ravaged by injuries along the defensive line, Dontari Poe, Chris Jones, Rakim Nunez-Roches, Kendall Reyes and Jarvis Jenkins are an assortment of players capable of stout run defense (notwithstanding last week’s performance against the Oakland Raiders).