We take a look at Monday’s (20/1/2020) NFL Conference Championships 2020 match which is between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.
When: Monday 20th January, 7:05AM
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
Preview:
Nine weeks ago the Titans hosted the Chiefs and pulled off a stunning 35-32 loss that would be the last defeat Kansas City would suffer, closing the regular season on a six game winning run before pulling off the mother of all comebacks against Houston last week. Now they look to make it eight straight and book the team’s first Super Bowl berth in 50 years.
If the Chiefs do manage to win this one it will be on the back of Patrick Mahomes, who was at his best helping them come back from 24-0 down against Houston. They are one of the few teams that are never really out of a game because on any play they can score multiple touchdowns in a very short space of time.
Tennessee, on the other hand, is going to continue to ride the hot hands (or feet) of bruising running back Derrick Henry, who is having a postseason for the ages. In two games, he has helped guide the Titans past the defending champion Patriots and helped them knock out the top-seeded Ravens with 64 carries for 377 yards, this coming after a 32 carry, 211-yard performance in Week 17 just to get Tennessee into the playoffs. In that Week 10 game, Henry also ran riot, rumbling for 188 yards on just 23 carries.
He is the main reason you would give the Titans a chance to be competitive in this game, especially with the Chiefs giving up 4.9 yards-per-carry in the regular season. But considering they will need to get at least 28 points to win this game, Henry has to get some help from Ryan Tannehill. Since taking over for Marcus Mariota in Week 7, he has been more than good enough but he cannot be a passenger in this game. It goes without saying that another 7/14, 88-yard game won’t be anywhere near enough, especially if Mahomes is on form.
For Tennessee to have any chance of winning, they will need to go with a heavy dose of Henry, take an early lead and then get a couple of turnovers to prevent the Chiefs getting on a roll. After last year’s elimination though, I just can’t back against the Chiefs as they are every chance of putting up 40 in this game. The line will hover at or around Chiefs -7 up until kickoff, so instead, I’ll back Kansas City to Win and Over 52.5 in a Same Game Multi.
As for a couple of other bets, with such a high likelihood for points in this one, it’s also worth backing a couple of outsiders for touchdowns as well. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was the featured receiver in their comeback last week and at around even money, he’s well worth a shout. On the other side, there’s always Derrick Henry who is a good play even at such a short price. If the Titans fall behind early their best chance to get back into the game is to give it to Henry, so I’ll happily take him to have 130+ rushing yards as well.
Elsewhere on the Titans, you have three main names that jump out in rookie receiver AJ Brown, tight end Jonnu Smith and quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Any one of these players is a worthwhile choice but in the red zone, Tannehill is a great chance to run one in or even get on the end of a trick play.
Odds:
Tip: Kansas City Chiefs at $1.26
*Odds correct at time of posting. Subject to change
