Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 10/6

Reid's Influence Can Be Seen In Chiefs' Revival from KC Star

"With Andy Reid," linebacker Tamba Hali says, "people forget, he's a players' coach, but he's firm as a coach. If guys are not doing the right thing, he's going to call you in and talk to you. It's not about fining you and creating this war...

"It's more about understanding what we want done around here, and having the players (take) ownership. It doesn't always have to come from the coaches.

"The difference from before, we had micromanaging. Now, it's not about micromanaging. It's about finding a way for everybody to have success, from the head coach, the GM, we're all working together. We're not working around (anything) here, tiptoeing around, scared of anything."

Jamaal's Influence On Offense & Defense from The Mothership

"I mean it's great," Reid said. "I know Romeo (Crennel) probably would have told you the same thing; this guy is a great player, and (Todd) Haley, before that. He's a heck of a football player. He wants the ball, which you appreciate. The kid is a tough kid. He likes to play and you appreciate that."

Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson spoke more about the benefits of the former Texas Longhorns RB.

"He's a special guy," Pederson said. "He's a weapon for us, obviously. We can line him up in space; we can keep him in the backfield and do a lot of things with him and to his credit, he's done a nice job of picking that stuff up. We're asking a lot of him and on top of that, being able to protect and to be in that position is a credit to him and the guys around him, allowing him to be as explosive as he is, in space."

Chiefs Aware Of Titans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's Success Against Them from KC Star

In the NFL, defenses treat backup quarterbacks the way kids often treat substitute teachers. There's often a certain amount of excitement ( oh, so-and-so is starting? Time to pad my stats!) that borders on disrespect, depending on the quarterback.

But the Chiefs know they better not take that approach into their noon game today against Tennessee and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is filling in for injured starter Jake Locker.

"He's not a regular backup quarterback," linebacker Derrick Johnson said.

Four Downs: The Road Trip Mentality from The Mothership

In this edition of "Four Downs", I asked four members of the Kansas City Chiefs the same question; "What are the challenges the team has to overcome, when playing away from Arrowhead?"

Chiefs Head Coach - Andy Reid

"The challenges are, you have to pack everything up and go and then, you have to maintain your focus on the game. Throughout the travel, we try to keep it as consistent as we can to make it like a home game, as far as meetings and everything goes; so, other than that, these guys handle it very well."

Chiefs-Titans Scouting Report from KC Star

Bottom line: Chiefs 20-17

The Titans are going to offer the Chiefs a real test, and there's a chance Ryan Fitzpatrick - who boasts a 4-1 career record vs. the Chiefs - finds his magic again. But the Chiefs are a better team on paper, and have the defense to go toe-to-toe with the Titans, as long as they continue to take care of the ball.

Inside The Lines: Chiefs vs Titans from The Mothership

The Chiefs are on the road again, headed to Tennessee to take on the Titans at LP Field.

QB Alex Smith said this road game will be another good test for the team and they're ready to take on the challenge.

"Every week is a test in the NFL," Smith noted. "I don't care what you say the record of the opposing team, what it may be. They're all hard and no question going on the road is even more difficult. This will be a good test for us. This is a team that's playing good football right now. The defense is playing really good football and going to their place is a challenge for us. This team looks at it like that, as a challenge, and we're going to take it on."

KCChiefs.com Video: Travel Day: Week 5

Game Day Forecast from The National Weather Service

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Temperature rising to near 75 by 10am, then falling to around 64 during the remainder of the day. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Preview: Tennessee Titans (3-1) vs Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) from The Tennessean

Defensive line - Titans

Kansas City NT Dontari Poe is a beast, with 3.5 sacks and 12 tackles. The Chiefs have 15 sacks, but most came from the linebackers. The Titans continue to play well here with multiple guys making noise, including Jurrell Casey and Karl Klug, who made a huge play in last week's win.

Linebacker - Chiefs

Justin Houston has 7.5 sacks for the Chiefs, while Tamba Hali has three and Derrick Johnson is a tackling machine. The Titans have sideline-to-sideline athleticism with Akeem Ayers and Zach Brown on the outside, and MLB Moise Fokou is the team's third-leading tackler.

Everything You Need To Know: Week 5 from Fox Sports

The Titans win if: Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. "The Bearded Bomber," proves an adequate replacement for Locker; Johnson turns back the clock to his CJ2K days.

The Chiefs win if: Kansas City's defense swallows Fitzpatrick alive; Smith's proficiency in the pocket endures.

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Titans 13

NFL Week 5 Pre-Game Report Part 2 from The Las Vegas Guardian Express

The Kansas City Chiefs versus the Tennessee Titans in Tennessee at LP Field.  Here we go ladies and gentlemen.  The undefeated Chiefs rev up their pulses to play smart against the nearly undefeated Titans.  This ought to be a good one.  Quarterbacks are Alex Smith for the Chiefs and Ryan Fitzpatrick  for the Titans as Jake Locker is out with an injury.

What can be said about these boys?  Alex Smith seems to be undervalued in the league even though he is taking his team home this season with a 4-0 win.  Ryan Fitzpatrick brings his Harvard smarts and 9 years of NFL experience to the team though the timing some say is rough, having just lost Jake Locker after winning three out of four games this year.

NFL Week 5: Peyton Manning Takes On The Cowboys, And The Rest Of What To Watch from NJ.com

CHIEFS (-2½) AT TITANS, 1 p.m.
Easily two of the bigger surprises in the NFL through the first quarter of the regular season. Whether that can be sustained, especially by the Titans, remains to be seen. QB Jake Locker is out for a while with a hip injury suffered against the Jets, but it's at least a little interesting that Ryan Fitzpatrick has won four of five starts against the Chiefs, with eight TDs and just two INTs. Kansas City hasn't started 5-0 since 2003, when the Chiefs started 9-0 and finished 13-3.

Bell Tolls: Colts Will Have Hands Full With Seattle's Russell Wilson from USA Today

Tennessee is the only team in the league that hasn't given the ball away, which happened to be the root of Fitzpatrick's flame-out with the Buffalo Bills. He threw 54 picks in three years with the Bills and fumbled 23 times. Now comes a matchup on Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has forced an AFC-high 12 turnovers. Fitzpatrick's arm strength will also attract scrutiny. Last season, he completed just 27.5% of his throws of 20-plus yards, lowest among NFL starters, according to Pro Football Focus. So if Fitzpatrick is going to prove the Titans didn't blow it by releasing Matt Hasselbeck, he will have to reverse some trends.

Chiefs vs. Titans Fantasy Football Projections: Taking A Look At Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles, Nate Washington And More from SBNation via Philly.com

Smith is a top 10 fantasy quarterback right now and has done enough to place himself ahead of the likes of Andrew Luck and Matthew Stafford. He will no doubt be in tough against a Titans pass defense that has given up the fifth least amount of points to fantasy quarterbacks this season.

Luckily for Smith and the Chiefs, they have a healthy and reliable Pro-Bowler in the backfield by the name of Jamaal Charles to help move the ball down the field.

Is Perry Playing Out Of Position At Outside LB? from The Green Bay Press-Gazette

The 3-4 scheme is built around the position, and occasionally a team can land two upper-tier outside rushers. Capers had it in 1996, when he coached Carolina to the NFC championship game and had the league's leading sacker (Kevin Greene with 14½) and one of three players tied for second (Lamar Lathon with 13½).

More recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a sustained run from 2008-11, when James Harrison averaged 11.4 sacks and LaMarr Woodley averaged 11.0. And the Kansas City Chiefs have it now with Tamba Hali (11.8-sack average the past three seasons) and Justin Houston (17½ sacks in his last 20 games).

Titans vs. Chiefs: A Complete Preview from Music City Miracles

This is no doubt going to be a physical, defense dominated game. For the second straight week it's going to come down to which QB can break through. For obvious reasons, I have more faith in Fitzpatrick in this regard. The Titans D has made a name for itself so far this year in closing down and tackling well to get off the field, and I feel Alex Smith lacks the ability to make enough plays down the field to stretch this defense. That said, turnovers will be king, and that could go either way. I see a lot of field goals and a lot of jostling for field position. I have to give the nod to the Titans at home, but only by a sliver.

Romo, Cowboys Not Likely To Keep Pace With Broncos from The Las Vegas Review-Journal

Kansas City (-3) at Tennessee: Life is good for Chiefs coach Andy Reid, far away from the crazies in Philly. But his 4-0 team has played almost every stiff save the Kansas Jayhawks. The Titans are a pleasant surprise themselves, yet to commit a turnover in four games, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is a serviceable short-term alternative to injured quarterback Jake Locker. The few points the Titans are receiving look to be a nice bonus in an expected tight affair in Nashville.

NFL QB Position Tilting Heavily To Texas from The Port Arthur News

For Jamaal Charles' sake, it's nice to see the Kansas City Chiefs have already doubled their win total from last season, with a 4-0 start. But, since three of the Chiefs wins - Dallas, Philadelphia and the NY Giants - are over teams from the woeful NFC East , it's too early to tell how good they really are. Charles, meanwhile, though his rushing numbers are down in an offense geared to the pass, continues to establish himself as one of the most valuable players in the game.

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Titans 17 from ESPN

Turnovers aside, the Titans have the capability of ruining Kansas City's day. The Chiefs are allowing a generous 5.4 yards per carry, dangerous territory to be in when facing a back the caliber of Chris Johnson. The Titans, mostly with Locker as their quarterback, have yet to commit a turnover. They play superb defense, particularly on third downs and have been air-tight on special teams.

So there's some danger here for the Chiefs, who need to be on their game if they are to improve their record to 5-0. The Chiefs have been on their game all season and there's no reason to expect that they won't be today.

Poly Prep Football Coach Dino Mangiero Played Four Seasons For The Kansas City Chiefs And Still Roots For The 4-0 NFL Team from The NY Daily News

After playing in 47 games over four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs starting in 1980, Mangiero has always been a big supporter of the team. A former defensive lineman, Mangiero recorded six sacks, an interception and two fumble recoveries in his time with the team.

Even though that was a long time ago, Mangiero is still excited about the Chiefs, who are 4-0 going into Sunday's game at Tennessee.