Titans vs Chiefs Wild Card Odds: Best Moneyline, ATS, Totals

It took 256 games for the dust to settle, but the NFL Playoffs have arrived! Wild Card Weekend kicks off in Kansas City (Saturday, 4:20pm ESPN/ABC), where the AFC West-champion Chiefs (10-6, 10-6 ATS) host the Tennessee Titans (9-6, 8-7-1 ATS). Game-time temperatures are a wintry 36 F (2 C). Below, you will find complete wagering advice for the game, including where to find the best odds and how to bet the moneyline, the spread, and the game total.

Team Injury Reports

TITANS

CHIEFS

Titans vs Chiefs Team Stats

Game Preview

Nike’s Kobe System commercial with Richard Branson comes to mind when I think of this edition of the Chiefs. Like Branson, they’ve successfully traveled to outer space (a blistering 5-0 start and reveling in Super Bowl-favorite talk). They’ve also been to the bottom of the ocean (a 1-6 mid-season nosedive that left them in a three-way dogfight for the division title and likely lone playoff berth). They’ve righted the ship to end the year, with Alex Smith breaking out out of his funk and re-emerging as an aggressive QB who’s finally shedding the unwanted label of “game manager.”

Smith has been helped by running back Kareem Hunt coming off the milk carton and getting back to his more explosive self. Hunt’s late-season production — which mirrored his hot start — gave KC the added dimension needed to let Smith take shots down the field to the ultra-dangerous duo of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

The Titans’ defense is not overly impressive, but they have strength up front and can get after the quarterback, finishing in a tie for fifth in total sacks. Tennessee’s most plausible path to an upset is to contain Hunt, find a way to get the lead, and force the Chiefs into obvious passing situations, allowing that aforementioned pass rush to pin its ears back.

A rebirth for Marcus Mariota in the postseason would help too. An anticipated breakthrough season never materialized for the Titans pivot, as he tossed just 13 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. The team infrastructure, however, was able to carry Mariota through his struggles, for the most part. Tennessee’s backfield of Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray did much of the heavy lifting, combining for over 1,400 rushing yards and hitting pay dirt 11 times. So it comes as really bad news that Murray’s knee injury will keep him on the sideline, and an offense that already lacks pop will be without one of its fizzier elements.

In order to move the ball downfield without Murray, the Titans will have to rely on a heavy dose of Henry and some innovation on broken plays by Mariota. (Surprise, surprise: it appears QB play will play a massive factor in determining a winner in this one.) But that will be a struggle, even if KC’s defense isn’t exactly a world-beating unit.

Titans vs Chiefs Betting Opportunities

Betting the Titans vs Chiefs Moneyline

BEST TITANS MONEYLINE: +365

BEST CHIEFS MONEYLINE: -430

EXPERT MONEYLINE ADVICE: Chiefs (-430)

The Chiefs have been great in their last three home games at getting out in front, building leads of 16 (vs the Raiders), 10 (vs the Chargers) and three (vs the Dolphins). Expect more of the same here, and the offensively-challenged Titans to struggle playing catchup.

Betting the Titans vs Chiefs Against the Spread

BEST TITANS SPREAD: +9
BEST CHIEFS SPREAD: -7.5

EXPERT AGAINST-THE-SPREAD ADVICE: Chiefs (-7.5)

Hard to go against the Chiefs given how well they tend to play at Arrowhead, despite an ugly defensive DVOA rating. Tennessee is just a tad overmatched. If the Chiefs are able to protect Smith, he will be able to pick apart the Tennessee secondary, which is nothing more than Kevin Byard and a band of misfits. KC was one of the best in turnover differential this year, and if that trend continues, they should cover. If that line moves, however, say to -8.5, you’re going to wind up sweating this one out.

Betting the Titans vs Chiefs Game Total

BEST OVER ODDS: 44 (-110)

BEST UNDER ODDS: 44.5 (-113)

EXPERT TOTALS ADVICE: Under 44.5 (-113)

KC is a good team and is peaking at the right time. They’ve got bigger issues when they advance, but a nice win (think 28-10) is the confidence boost they need with either Pittsburgh or New England looming on the horizon. While banking on takeaways is not the best strategy, and it’s a statistic that tends to regress to the mean over time, Mariota’s penchant for giving the ball away and KC’s ball-hawking secondary should keep this one under the 44.5 total.