Long-term lessons learned from KC Chiefs tough win over Titans
By Matt Conner
Coaching Covers Concerns
When your quarterback is an overwhelmed rookie who needs much more time to practice and grow at the professional level, your prospects are dim. That was definitely the set-up for the Titans coming into Week 9, a team pushed into starting Willis with Ryan Tannehill out for a couple of weeks with a lingering ankle injury.
Willis has completed a total of 10 passes against the Chiefs and Houston Texans—the two games in which he’s started—and he’s thrown for just over 130 yards. Those totals are anemic, but they still somehow don’t reflect just how overwhelmed Willis looks under center. The Chiefs had little problem getting pressure down the stretch, and it was clear that Willis was a project forced into a role far too early when he was intended to be a long-term development all along.
The Titans were strapped at the game’s most important position for a full 60 minutes against one of the NFL’s best teams and still made it a contest down to the wire. Hell, they even held a lead for the majority of the game.
It feels important to note this, even if it’s not about the Chiefs, because it could apply down the road. Very good coaching figures out how to mask your deficiencies and amplify those of your opponent. The Titans came into this game hobbling at quarterback and still brought the fight to the Chiefs. In the end, Mike Vrabel reminded everyone just how much he gets from his players over the course of a season in primetime. The right coach in the NFL can cover a lot of concerns when it comes down to it.