FanPost

How Can Chiefs Kingdom Help Our Defense Stop Derrick Henry, AJ Brown and The Tennessee Titans

Over the past 3 games, Derrick Henry has done what no other NFL running back has done in its 100 year history. He has surpassed 180 yards rushing in 3 consecutive games. Two of those three games were playoff games against playoff teams on the road.

Why does this matter? The Titans strength on offense is about to run into the Chiefs most recognizable weakness. Our ability to stop the run.

When asked about how our Defense would respond, Tyrann Mathieu pointed out what the Chiefs must do and when they need to do it based on when Henry is typically the most dangerous.

"I think the most important thing is we've got to finish the game strong," Mathieu said. "If you watch a lot of Derrick Henry, he gets stronger as the game goes on. His first halves aren't that great, but second-half football, he takes off. So we got to be well-rested, hydrated in order to kind of finish the game, try to compete against him and slow him down when it matters the most in the fourth quarter...."

The Chiefs defense is preparing for a very physical, hard fought game. They believe it will take everything they have for all four quarters to win this game. But beware, a concerted effort focused on trying to stop Henry opens up opportunities in the play-action passing game for Ryan Tannehill to hit rookie wide receiver, A.J. Brown. A.J. averages 20.2 yards per reception and finished the year with 8 touchdowns and over 1000 yards receiving. Some believe A.J. is an even greater threat than Henry due to his big play ability. I believe the two feed off of each other and if you stop one, you become susceptible to the other.

Which is why I see this game turning out one of two ways.

Scenario 1: The Chiefs start fast, get up big and win in a blowout as the Titans struggle to catch up

Scenario 2: Vrabel and the Titans defense find a way to surprise the Chiefs Offense for long enough to slow them down and the game is not decided until late in the 4th qtr. As usual in close games, the team that makes the least amount of mistakes, wins.

I don't believe scenario 2 will happen, but with the added motivation of wanting to humble Tyreek Hill after the comments he made this week, it could.

If scenario 1 occurs, we are going to have an awesome time all game long and will all get to see the presentation of the Lamar Hunt trophy for the first time in team history presented to our Chiefs.

But, if scenario 2 occurs, not only will the defense need to be well rested, hydrated, and ready to finish the game as Tyrann mentioned above, so will all 76,416 fans in attendance.

So this is where we all come in.

If we start to see a repeat performance from the Titans like we did in Tennessee earlier this season and Derrick Henry is running at will and opening up the passing game for Ryan Tannehill, then instead of losing confidence and getting quiet, we need to take our belief and noise to a whole new level.

Before I share how, let me give you some background. I started writing the below posts when the Texans went up 24 to 0. I have been to 5 home playoff games in the past 16 years. We have won 2 and lost 3. In two of those three playoff losses, we felt we were going to win until one or two things went against us and the momentum shifted. One or two plays, that was all it took to shift the momentum. Unfortunately for us and the Chiefs, we were not able to get the momentum back.

Crazy things have happened to us in the playoffs. Which is why this year I wanted to try something different when we went down 24 to 0 against the Texans.

At that time, most of us in the stadium were more than just a little nervous. I had felt that nervous energy inside of Arrowhead before and I didn't want to feel it again. So in my section, 103, I started to chant, "I Believe The Chiefs Will Win, I Believe The Chiefs Will Win, I Believe The Chiefs Will Win."

When I started the chant, you should have seen the looks people gave me. Like, "Are you crazy, we are losing by 24 points. Are you watching the same game I am." But after the Mecole Hardman kick-off return, more fans started to join in. Before we knew it, we were up 28 -€” 24 and the Texans missed a field goal attempt going into halftime. Momentum had completely shifted and we never gave it back.

I believe it is going to take everything our defense has to stop Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, and AJ Brown. I believe we will see them have great success at times. But the aggression and energy that will take will be tremendous. At times they may start to doubt themselves, doubt the game plan and even their coaches. So if we see our defense with their hands on their knees, slow to get up, breathing really heavy and not able to get off the field, then know that is when they need us the most.

That is the time when we need to be the loudest. As my post below mentions, the Ravens fans didn't do that and now the Ravens are watching this weekend from home. There was no energy in that stadium when the Ravens needed it the most. Take away those couple drops and Lamar could have been in position to tie the game and then potentially beat the Titans.

After the Texans game, we should know to never let up on our team. This team only needs one spark to get going that lights a fire that fuels them to 41 unanswered points. On Sunday, that spark could come from us believing in our team and giving them everything we have for all 4 quarters.

So here is the plan. If there is a point in the game where we lose momentum, at the next commercial break, start the below chant in your section and encourage others to join in:

I Believe The Chiefs Will Win, I Believe The Chiefs Will Win, I Believe The Chiefs Will Win, etc.

And keep doing it at every commercial break until we get the momentum back and the Chiefs are winning. Can you imagine the boost that would give our team if all 76,416 of us in the stands did it together?

Then when we are on defense, from the moment Tannehill goes into the huddle to when the ball is snapped, do whatever you can to make the most noise possible. Make sure you drink plenty of water and keep your vocal chords hydrated. Stay away from milk and caffeine as that can hurt your vocal cords and make you lose your voice faster. That is even more important at the temperatures during game time, especially if you want to have any voice left for the most important quarter, the Fourth!

BTW, if you have something you do that works really well to make the most noise possible and doesn't violate the NFL's rules, post it in the comments below for others to see.

Those of you at home, join along. Let's "Believe" and "Will" our team to victory on Sunday.

So what do you say, are you ready to go all in? We were a coin flip and 4 to 6 inches away from hoisting the Lamar Hunt trophy last year. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be in that position again. No regrets. Let's do this! Go Chiefs!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.