Titans vs. Chiefs: Odds, Stat Predictions for 2018 AFC Wild Card Game

The Tennessee Titans' season ended in a sluggish manner. As they approached their regular-season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they had lost three games in a row and were in danger of falling out of the playoffs.

However, Mike Mularkey's team righted itself and beat the Jaguars to earn the fifth seed in the AFC playoff structure.

Their reward is a date with the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET in a wild-card matchup.

The Chiefs closed the season with four straight wins, and they appear to be on solid roll. However, a further look at Andy Reid's team reveals some key problems.

Kansas City lost six of seven games before its end-of-season winning streak, and the offense dried up during that bad spell. Quarterback Alex Smith stopped making big plays, and rookie running back Kareem Hunt seemingly lost his way to the end zone.

While Smith, Hunt and speedy wideout Tyreek Hill form a dangerous trio, the Chiefs lacked the consistency during that losing streak to score a requisite amount of points.

If the Chiefs are not scoring, it does not seem likely that they can win at this point in the year. Kansas City has significant problems on defense and ranks 28th in yards allowed and 29th in passing yards allowed.

The Chiefs get a solid pass rush from outside linebacker Justin Houston, who has 9.5 sacks. Talented cornerback Marcus Peters has five interceptions. However, the Chiefs don't have a lot of speed on defense, and the Titans may be able to take advantage of it.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota had an inconsistent year passing the ball, with 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but he is one of the top running quarterbacks in the league. Once he gets to the perimeter, he can break big plays.

DeMarco Murray is out with an MCL injury, but running back Derrick Henry is tough and nasty. Henry ran for 744 yards, averaged 4.2 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns during the regular season..

Tight end Delanie Walker is Mariota's top receiver with 74 receptions for 807 yards and three TDs, while Rishard Matthews caught 53 passes for 795 yards and four TDs.

While the Titans don't have a big-name receiving crew, they may be able to be fairly productive against Kansas City's porous defense.

The Chiefs are eight-point favorites at Arrowhead Stadium, according to OddsShark.

We see the Titans staying with the Chiefs for 60 minutes and finding a way to pull off the upset. The technical trends are working in Tennessee's favor. The Titans are 5-1 against the spread in their past six visits to Kansas City, and the Chiefs are 1-6 against the number in their past seven postseason games as favorites.

Statistical Predictions

Tennessee Titans

QB Marcus Mariota, 225 passing yards, two TDs, one interception.
RB Derrick Henry, 85 rushing yards, one TD.
WR Rishard Matthews, 70 receiving yards.
TE Delanie Walker, 70 receiving yards, two TDs.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB Alex Smith 250 passing yards, one TD, one interceptions.
RB Kareem Hunt, 55 rushing yards.
WR Tyreek Hill, 65 receiving yards.
TE Travis Kelce, 60 receiving yards, one TD.