The Tennessee Titans beat the Kansas City Chiefs 26-9 at Nissan Stadium on Dec. 21, ending an 11-game losing streak at home.
Cam Ward finished with 228 passing yards and two touchdowns to lead the Titans, while Tony Pollard led all rushers with 102 rushing yards.
The Titans’ last win at home was Nov. 4, 2024 against the New England Patriots, a 20-17 overtime win. Their last home win in regulation was Jan. 7, 2024, a 28-20 victory over the Jaguars.
The Chiefs were already missing Patrick Mahomes, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, but also lost backup Gardner Minshew in this game to a knee injury. Third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun finished 11-for-16 with 111 yards in his second ever NFL appearance.
Chimere Dike, Chig Okonwo, and Tyjae Spears each scored touchdowns for the Titans. Defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons recorded a safety in the first quarter. Joey Slye added a 27-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.
The result of this game had no bearing on the NFL playoff picture – both the Titans and Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Next up, the Titans (3-13) host the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 28. The Chiefs (6-9) host the Denver Broncos on Dec. 25.
James Williams, who started in place of the injured Cedric Gray, has been big for the Titans defense. Not only does he lead the team with nine tackles, he records a sack early in the fourth quarter to force a Chiefs punt.
Williams was a seventh-round pick by the Titans in 2024. This is only the second start of his career.
The Titans finish off a 10-play, 64-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run by Tyjae Spears to restore a 14-point lead. It was a run heavy drive that mostly featured Pollard, but Spears’ quick movement through the left side finished it off.
Could Tennessee be on the verge of ending their home winless streak?
The Titans are in control of the scoreboard and driving to add to it as the third quarter ends. Cam Ward just scrambled for 11 yards to get a first down and move into Kansas City territory. He is 17-for-23 passing with 182 yards and two touchdowns.
An injury to starting quarterback Gardner Minshew hurts the Chiefs, but Chris Oladokun has played well in his place. He’s 10-for-14 passing with 107 yards and no turnovers.
Once again, Oladokun looked comfortable guiding the Chiefs down the field, but again, the drive stalled in Titans territory. He was sacked on third down to force a field goal by Butker, who hits from 27 yards out to make it 16-9 Titans.
Mike McCoy has taken some heat for not being more aggressive on fourth down in his interim coaching tenure. This time, he goes for it on fourth-and-1 at the 50-yard line and the Titans don’t make it. Cam Ward attempted the sneak, but the Chiefs’ defense held.
Titans up 16-6 with 6:22 left in the third quarter.
Oladokun has been impressive in his relief appearance. He’s 8-for-11 with 81 yards in three drives, though his latest one stalls out at the Titans’ 33-yard line.
Harrison Butker misses a 51-yard attempt and the score remains 16-6 in favor of the Titans.
What a drive for Tennessee to open the second half. Cam Ward completed five passes, leading the Titans 75 yards and finding Chim Dike on a short throw to make it 16-6.
Rookies Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike each had beautiful long catches on the drive. Ayomanor’s was a nice 25-yard diving catch down the right sideline, while Dike’s came off a scramble play by Ward, hauling in a 30-yard catch near the left sideline.
In his first real action as an NFL quarterback, Oladokun led the Chiefs to the Titans’ 23-yard line to close out the half. Butker’s 41-yard field goal is good and the Chiefs make it 9-6 at the half. Oladokun completed five passes for 46 yards on the drive.
Cam Ward is 9-for-13 with 106 yards and a touchdown. Tony Pollard leads all players with 42 rushing yards.
Tennessee’s best drive of the day ended in a 7-yard touchdown catch by Chig Okonkwo to put the Titans up 9-3. Tyjae Spears did most of the work on the drive – he had 64 total yards, including a 34-yard catch on a screen pass.
With 1:37 left in the first half, the Titans have taken momentum back from the Chiefs, who have an unproven starter under center.
Kansas City finally gets on the board with a long field goal by Harrison Butker. His 54-yard attempt is good and the score is now 3-2 Chiefs.
The Titans will get the ball back with 7:40 left in the half.
After chasing down a tackler, Titans’ defensive back Marcus Harris went down with an apparent injury. He came off the field under his own power, but was seen heading to the locker room with the Chiefs driving.
The Titans ruled him questionable with a knee injury.
A 36-yard punt return set up the Chiefs in good field position, but the bigger news is they’ve replaced starting quarterback Gardner Minshew with Chris Oladokun. Minshew has been ruled questionable with a knee injury.
This is the first appearance of Oladokun this season and only the second appearance of his career.
The first score of the day comes from Tennessee’s defense. With Kansas City on their own 2-yard line, Jeffrey Simmons bull-rushed through the line and stopped Kareem Hunt in the end zone for the safety.
The Titans lead 2-0 with 13:06 left in the second quarter.
The Chiefs are starting to get to Cam Ward. On third down, he gets sacked for an 8-yard loss to end another Titans drive.
Ward has now been sacked 51 times this season.
These offenses are not fun to watch! Through 15 minutes, we’ve got 100 yards of offense combined. The Titans have four first downs to just two for the Chiefs, but Kansas City is driving as the second quarter opens.
The Titans were moving the ball with a nice balance of Tony Pollard runs and short Cam Ward throws. Then Ward was sacked for an 8-yard loss on second down, pushing the Titans to third-and-16. A deep incompletion to Dike forced the Titans to punt for the first time today.
The Titans and Chiefs are still scoreless with 2:20 left in the first quarter.
The Titans offense reached Chiefs territory, but stalled on a fourth-and-2 when a long pass to Gunnar Helm was ruled incomplete.
The Chiefs took over near midfield and were unable to gain a first down. Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons had a tackle for loss on first down, then Minshew threw incomplete on third down.
Good start for the Titans defense. Two false starts under new quarterback Gardner Minshew backed up the Chiefs and forced a three-and-out on their first possession.
The following players are inactive for the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 21:
LB Cedric GrayS Erick Hallett IIOL Drew MossDT Cam HorsleyOL Garrett DellingerOT Brandon Crenshaw-DicksonTV channel: CBS (NewsChannel 5 in Nashville)Stream: NFL+ and FUBO
Kevin Harlan and Trent Green will call the game from the booth at Nissan Stadium, with Melanie Collins reporting from the field.
Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
All times Central
Week 1 (Sept. 7): at Denver Broncos, L 20-12Week 2 (Sept. 14): Los Angeles Rams, L 33-19Week 3 (Sept. 21): Indianapolis Colts, L 41-20Week 4 (Sept. 28): at Houston Texans, L 26-0Week 5 (Oct. 5): at Arizona Cardinals, W 22-21Week 6 (Oct. 12): at Las Vegas Raiders, L 20-10Week 7 (Oct. 19): New England Patriots, L 31-13Week 8 (Oct. 26): at Indianapolis Colts, L 38-14Week 9 (Nov. 2): Los Angeles Chargers, L 27-20Week 10: OPEN DATEWeek 11 (Nov. 16): Houston Texans, L 16-13Week 12 (Nov. 23): Seattle Seahawks, L 30-24Week 13 (Nov. 30): Jacksonville Jaguars, L 25-3Week 14 (Dec. 7): at Cleveland Browns, W 31-29Week 15 (Dec. 14): at San Francisco 49ers, L 37-24Week 16 (Dec. 21): Kansas City Chiefs, Noon on CBSWeek 17 (Dec. 28): New Orleans Saints, Noon on CBSWeek 18 (Jan. 3/4): at Jacksonville Jaguars, TBD
Record: 2-12
The Tennessean’s expert predictions for Titans-Chiefs:
Nick Suss, Titans beat reporter: ChiefsGentry Estes, columnist: TitansNick Gray, trending reporter: ChiefsTom Kreager, Tennessean sports director: Chiefs
All times Central
Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans, Noon on NewsChannel 5Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns, NoonCincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins, NoonNew York Jets at New Orleans Saints, NoonTampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, NoonLos Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys, NoonMinnesota Vikings at New York Giants, NoonJacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos, 3:05 p.m. on FOX 17Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals, 3:05 p.m.Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions, 3:25 p.m. on NewsChannel 5Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans, 3:25 p.m.New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens, 7:15 p.m. on NBC
Tennessee Titans
LB Cedric Gray (concussion) — OUTEDGE Femi Oladejo (fibula) — OUTWR Bryce Oliver (knee) — OUTCB Jalyn Armour-Davis (Achilles) — QUESTIONABLELB Ali Gaye (knee) — QUESTIONABLETE Gunnar Helm (toe) — QUESTIONABLEWR Van Jefferson (back) — QUESTIONABLELB Arden Key (illness) — QUESTIONABLEOL Kevin Zeitler (groin) — QUESTIONABLE
Kansas City Chiefs
TE Jake Briningstool (hamstring) — OUTLB Leo Chenal (shoulder) — OUTCB Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder) — OUTCB Trent McDuffie (knee) — OUTOT Jaylon Moore (knee) — OUTDL Derrick Nnadi (illness) — OUTWR Rashee Rice (concussion) — OUTOT Jawaan Taylor (elbow) — OUTWR Tyquan Thornton (concussion) — OUT
Inactives will be announced at 10:30 a.m. CT.
A list of pregame news, notes and stories before game time: