Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs (6-8) were officially eliminated from the AFC playoff race last Sunday with a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. It was a brutal loss made worse by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL. The injury leaves the Chiefs little to play for the rest of this season.
In Week 16, the team will take on the Tennessee Titans (2-12) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at noon Arrowhead time. This could be one of the most lackluster games of the NFL slate. The Titans are poised for a high draft pick and a new head coach this offseason, and they will look to build around rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Here are five things to watch in Sunday’s game:
Backup quarterback and journeyman Gardner Minshew will replace Mahomes. After coming off the bench against the Chargers, Minshew threw an interception that sealed Kansas City’s fate.
The Chiefs are Minshew’s fifth team in seven seasons; he has a 17-29 record as a starter. Last season, he started nine games for the Las Vegas Raiders and threw nine touchdowns, ten interceptions and completed 66% of his passes.
This week, Minshew could be without several key players around him, including a makeshift offensive line. Still, it is a chance for him to audition for the backup role in 2026, which is a more important position to consider than ever for Kansas City.
With nothing left to play for this season, the Chiefs should be smart with how starters are decided. This week’s injury report was littered with key players like wide receiver Rashee Rice (concussion), offensive tackles Jayon Moore (knee) and Jawaan Taylor (elbow), linebacker Leo Chenal (shoulder), defensive tackle Chris Jones (hamstring), and cornerback Trent McDuffie (knee). All were limited at practice or not participating at all.
Earlier in the week, the Chiefs elevated defensive tackle Zacch Pickens to the active roster from the practice squad when the team officially placed Mahomes on the Reserve/Injured list.
Kansas City will likely make more moves from the practice squad before kickoff to fill out the roster, and it should allow some of the underrated names to showcase what they can do.
With it becoming unlikely Rice and wide receiver Xavier Worthy play this week, rookie Jalen Royals should be the next man up in the receiving rotation.
He has only played 35 offensive snaps over four games this season. In Week 4, Royals had his first and only touch: a 30-yard kickoff return against the Baltimore Ravens.
The fourth-round pick from Utah State has been buried in the depth chart, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to gain needed experience and put on a performance for the staff to evaluate. Based on his draft evaluation, Royals projects to be a slot receiver that threatens defenses after the catch while also having the speed to attack vertically....
