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The Kansas City Chiefs’ season reached another low point in Week 16 with a 26–9 road loss to the Tennessee Titans. The defeat dropped the Chiefs to 6–9 and confirmed head coach Andy Reid’s first losing season with the franchise, as well as Kansas City’s first since 2012.
Following the game, Reid acknowledged the unfamiliar territory.
“Nobody likes losing in this business,” Reid said. “But, my hat goes off to the guys who put together all these years as part of it. We can learn from it and need to do that going forward. Sometimes a good kick in the tail helps you there.”
The Chiefs were already eliminated from playoff contention after last week’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but the loss to Tennessee summed up how difficult this season has really been. Kansas City entered the game without Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL against the Chargers. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew made his first start of the season, but he also suffered a left knee injury after collapsing on a non-contact play. Reid confirmed Minshew would undergo an MRI, though he provided no timetable.
With Minshew out, recently signed Chris Oladokun took over and completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards, driving the Chiefs to three Harrison Butker field goals. Isiah Pacheco was Kansas City’s most productive player on offense, leading the team in both rushing and receiving with 34 yards on eight carries and six catches for 41 yards. Nick Bolton was active on defense with 10 combined tackles and a sack, and Chris Jones finished with just two tackles and no sacks.
Special teams were an issue again for the Chiefs. Harrison Butker missed a 51-yard field goal, his ninth miss of the season, the most in the league. Penalties and execution errors only added to the trouble, including an offside penalty that turned a fourth-and-1 into a Titans touchdown drive.
Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward completed 21 of 28 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns, posting a season-high passer rating of 122.3. Ward surpassed Marcus Mariota for the most passing yards by a rookie in franchise history and helped the Titans generate a season-high 376 total yards of offense against a Kansas City defense that entered the game ranked eighth in yards allowed. Tony Pollard rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries to record his third straight 100-yard game. Tyjae Spears punched in a 4-yard touchdown, and Jeffery Simmons anchored the defense with a safety on Kareem Hunt as the Titans picked up four sacks.
The Chiefs will play the Denver Broncos in Week 17 on Christmas Day, then conclude their season with a Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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