NFL predictions, Week 7: Experts pick Chiefs to beat Titans

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, both teams are hoping to come away with a big win at Nissan Stadium.

For the Titans, it’s a chance to claim some real supremacy in the AFC–and a path straight to the No. 1 overall seed—after beating the Buffalo Bills just a week prior. A win over the Bills and Chiefs in a pretty flawed list of contenders would go a long way toward playoff positioning in terms of breaking ties down the road. It’s also a confidence booster for a team that’s been on the second-tier of playoff teams the last couple seasons.

For the Chiefs, after losing already to the Bills, the Baltimore Ravens and at home to the L.A. Chargers as an AFC West rival, it’s time for the team to strike at the heart of a fellow contender instead of leaning on non-conference wins over the dregs of the NFC East.

Let’s look at what NFL experts are saying about the Chiefs vs. Titans.

If the matchup between the teams makes you feel a bit uncertain what to expect, you’re not alone. Confident fans for each team might feel just fine heading into another week, but the Chiefs uneven record at 3-3 overall and pitiful performances in big games, especially defensively, have some in Chiefs Kingdom uncertain what to think. So in that spirit, let’s look at the experts to see what they say.

Matt Verderame of FanSided is going with the Chiefs in a very close game—35 to 33—and says this game will come down to what every other major tilt for the Chiefs has come down to: turnovers.

Over at ESPN, a panel of 11 experts are mostly leaning toward the Chiefs winning on Sunday, with only three panelists going with the Titans. Over at the league’s official site, analyst Gregg Rosenthal is going with the Chiefs in his predictions column for Week 7. He notes that both defenses are going to be hurting in this one but concludes, “I’m still trusting a great passing game over a great running game when both defenses have little going for them.”

Checking in at CBS with both Will Brinson and Pete Prisco, the former has the Chiefs winning by 10 and notes that the Titans are coming off of an emotional high and short week. He also says the Chiefs are past their “buy low point.” The latter also believes in the Chiefs, but has the margin of victory at seven instead.

Interestingly, a panel of seven experts at USA Today has things a bit more even with only four of seven going with the Chiefs over the Titans.