Jake Locker’s quest to prove he is in fact the future at the quarterback position in Tennessee starts in Week 1. Facing an elite Kansas City Chiefs pass rush probably doesn’t instill the most confidence in the world, but Locker could improve under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Thanks to some issues in their secondary, Kansas City could be susceptible to allowing big plays in the passing game.
Hitting big plays with second-year stud Justin Hunter will be the aim in this one, as the Titans know they have a stiff task ahead of them on the road this week. Outside of Locker progressing and avoiding mistakes (and also staying healthy), the Tennessee defense will need to find a way to get better, while also containing Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles. If the Tennessee Titans schedule can start 2014 off with a big road win in KC, Titans tickets could slowly become in high demand.
That’s not really the case for entry into this week’s contest, as Chiefs tickets are just over $102 on average ($26 to get in). Tennessee not looking like an elite opponent on paper is a pretty big reason why, but fans are obviously getting a great value with some elite talent on the field in this matchup.
For Kansas City, recently paid quarterback Alex Smith will be out to prove right away that he was worth the cash, while he’ll also work to get by without top receiver, Dwayne Bowe. That could get second-year tight end Travis Kelce more work than expected, but due to his size and speed, that could be a good thing for the Chiefs. Tennessee will have their hands full with Charles alone in Week 1, but to earn the win they’ll have to be sure to keep Kelce and Kansas City’s passing game in check, as well. If they can do that, they might be able to earn the upset road win.
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