KC Chiefs vs. Titans: Mostly depressing takeaways from Week 7

A defensive nod or two

In the middle of all of the “defense is trash” discussion, it’s important to at least acknowledge some solid individual efforts. Specifically, the run defense looked very good early on against Derrick Henry with Jarran Reed and Nick Bolton standing out with several plays in the backfield. The Chiefs have been waiting all season to really get some level of impact from Reed after signing him this offseason, and today was a good sign for the Chiefs. (Yes we’re reaching here for good things to focus on.)

The same can be said in the secondary where Charvarius Ward looked very good on some plays as he was back fresh from a quad injury that kept him from playing the last month for the Chiefs. Next to him, Juan Thornhill showed out on a couple of key plays and Rashad Fenton also continues to look like he belongs in the conversation for starting reps.

As for the pass rush, the linebackers (save for a nice INT from Gay late in the game), the overall safety play—yeah, we’re not really sure what to say. But at least there were some rays of light.

The Titans are very well-coached

When watching the Titans play, it was clear from the outset that the team is very well-coached from top to bottom. During a segment in which the Titans were hoping to see a long sideline pass called a completed catch to A.J. Brown in the first quarter. On the field, it was ruled incomplete, but the reviews looked pretty clear. Immediately offensive lineman Roger Saffold called for trainers to look at some sort of leg/ankle injury—somehow perfect timing for the team to regroup and figure out if there was a way or need to challenge that play.

That is just one small sample of the way the Titans play, and that level of detail is clear on offense and defense. The playcalling was spot-on and the team came into Week 7 with a clear game plan on both sides of the ball. That allows the players to simply to out and execute detailed plans and trust that process.

That’s not to say the Chiefs are not well-coached or that this was a contrast of two teams. It’s just notable that the Titans are in good hands with Mike Vrabel and his staff in charge and it showed on Sunday.