NASHVILLE — The Kansas City Chiefs insist they have plenty of motivation left as they prepare to play their first regular-season game with no hopes of a playoff berth in more than a decade — and worse, without Patrick Mahomes taking the snaps.
The franchise that played in seven consecutive AFC championship games and five Super Bowls during a remarkable run still has something more than pride on the line, even though Kansas City’s 16-13 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday ended its already slim postseason hopes.
The Chiefs (6-8) need to sweep their final three games, starting with Sunday’s visit to Nashville’s Nissan Stadium to face the AFC South’s last-place Tennessee Titans (2-12), to continue the streak of a winning record in all 13 seasons with Andy Reid. They haven’t finished with a losing record since the 2012 season — the last one that someone other than Reid was the head coach in Kansas City.
“Now it’s about finishing, and finishing strong,” Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis said.
Even before last weekend’s loss to the Chargers, when Mahomes incurred a season-ending knee injury near the end — the two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP has already undergone surgery and started rehab — it was clear this wasn’t a typical season for the Chiefs compared to the current era. The Chiefs have lost three straight games and five of their past six, and they’re just 1-5 on the road this season.
Still, the Titans expect Kansas City’s best because of what the Chiefs have done for so long.
“You’ll see somebody different at the quarterback position, but that’ll be about it,” Tennessee right tackle JC Latham said.
That will be Gardner Minshew, someone the Titans are familiar with from his time playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2019-20) and Indianapolis Colts (2023), who compete in the same division as Tennessee. The 29-year-old Minshew, a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft who has also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles (2021-22) and the Las Vegas Raiders (2024), will be making his first start for the Chiefs.
“As sick as Gardner is over the whole thing, he also has an opportunity and wants to do well,” Reid said of Minshew getting this opportunity due to the injury to Mahomes, 30, who had largely avoided being seriously hurt as a pro. “It’s great for him career wise, whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
Of his 59 regular-season appearances in the NFL, 46 have been starts, and he’s 17-29 in those games. Minshew threw for 312 yards with two touchdowns in his most recent start against Tennessee, leading the Colts to a 31-28 overtime win in Nashville on Dec. 3, 2023.
The Chiefs have long valued veteran backups behind Mahomes, mostly to keep them in the playoff hunt if he had to miss time with an injury. Minshew wants to follow in the footsteps of Matt Moore, Chad Henne, Blaine Gabbert and Carson Wentz, all of whom have helped out the Chiefs over the past few years.
“Been fortunate to be around for a while. Seen a lot. Learned a lot,” Minshew said. “Hopefully put all of that to use.”
Mahomes is merely the biggest name in Kansas City to be dealing with an injury. Wide receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton were in the concussion protocol, left tackle Jaylon Moore is dealing with a knee injury, right tackle Jawaan Taylor has had a triceps injury, cornerback Trent McDuffie has been hobbled by a knee injury and linebacker Leo Chenal has been dealing with a shoulder injury.
“All our young guys are playing,” Reid said. “They’re in there and going.”
Tennessee is coming off a two-game road swing, with the Titans winning 31-29 against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 7 before losing 37-24 to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. With Mahomes out, a game that once stood out because of the Chiefs’ dazzling playoff resumé remains a big one for a young Tennessee team eager to add as many wins as possible over the final three weeks.
“We’re trying to go out there and try to find a way to win,” said Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick who continues to improve and was not sacked by the 49ers, his first game as a pro with that distinction.
The Titans haven’t won at home in more than a year — they beat the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime on Nov. 3, 2024 — with that 11-game skid the worst for the franchise formerly known as the Houston Oilers since it moved to Tennessee in 1997.
Ward is eager to win not just this weekend but in the home finale against the NFC South’s New Orleans Saints on Dec. 28 before closing the season at Jacksonville in early January.
“And that’s what our fans they need to see,” Ward said. “They need to see us winning at home. We need to make our home atmosphere one of the best in the NFL. We get a chance to go do that on Sunday against a good team.”
In addition to Ward’s progress, the Titans and running back Tony Pollard are coming off their best back-to-back rushing performances this season. Pollard ran for a career-high 161 yards against the Browns, then followed up with 104 yards at San Francisco.
Pollard, a 28-year-old Memphis native who played his first five NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Titans in 2024, is going for his first three-game stretch of 100-yard rushing games as a pro.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Titans interim coach Mike McCoy said. “Not just for the guys up front, for Tony, but for our football team, the way we run the football the past couple of weeks, because we got a little personality, a little dirtier, too.”
Keeping that up won’t be easy against the Chiefs, whose rushing defense ranks seventh in the NFL by giving up an average of just 99.1 yards on the ground per game.