Game report | Chiefs lose another QB to injury in ugly loss at Titans

KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. He also serves as our game-day digital reporter for the Chiefs. Share your story idea with Tod.

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Playing with its third-string quarterback and fifth- and sixth-string tackles, the depleted Kansas City Chiefs got worked over 26-9 Sunday against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

The result ensures the Chiefs, who have lost four in a row and six of the last seven games, will finish with a losing record for the first time since 2012.

Andy Reid, who is enduring only the fourth losing season in his 27 as an NFL head coach, arrived in Kansas City the next year and led the franchise to unprecedented heights since Patrick Mahomes’ arrival.

But with Mahomes out for the season with a severe knee injury, the Chiefs slipped to 6-9 with two games remaining, a Christmas night home game against Denver in four days and a road trip to Las Vegas in Week 18.

Kansas City lost backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to a knee injury in the first half and finished with practice-squad staple Chris Oladokun leading the offense.

Multiple sources, including KSHB 41 contributor Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, reported after the game the Chiefs fear Minshew might have torn his ACL.

Reid acknowledged the injury, but did not confirm the extent of Minshew's knee injury.

“Gardner hurt his left knee,” Reid said. “We don’t have results for you here. We’ll get that when he has a chance to get an MRI on it.”

The Titans (3-12) snapped an 11-game home losing streak with the win as last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, who finished 21 of 28 for 228 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Meanwhile, it was a rough day for Kansas City’s offense, which went 1 for 9 on third down and managed only nine first downs and 133 total yards.

MORE HISTORY FOR KELCE

Tight end Travis Kelce wasn’t much of a factor in the game.

He caught one of four targets for 6 yards, but that was enough to extend his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a catch to 189.

It also pushed Kelce over 800 yards receiving on the season.

He joins Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history with 12 straight seasons of 800 receiving yards or more.

Kelce has 68 catches for 803 yards, which leads Kansas City

OLADOKUN SHOWS FLASHES

After four straight fruitless drives to open the game, Oladokun took over for an injured Minshew for his first significant NFL snaps.

Oladokun, a former seventh-round pick from South Dakota State who has spent four seasons on Kansas City’s practice squad, was signed to the active roster on Saturday and had never thrown an NFL pass until Sunday.

But he led the Chiefs’ offense into field-goal range on his first four drives, though Harrison Butker missed a 51-yard try on the offense’s opening drive in the second half.

“Our QB room is so close, so when you see good friends down like that it’s so tough,” Oladokun said.

He voted to give it his best upon entering.

Including penalties, Kansas City’s offense had netted 21 yards on Minshew’s four drives, the last of which featured a false start and a safety.

The Chiefs, who never reached Titans territory with Minshew in the game, crossed midfield on each of Oladokun’s first four drives — marches of 28, 45, 42 and 41 yards — that netted three field goals.

Oladokun finished 11 of 16 for 111 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also had two scrambles for 7 yards rushing and was sacked four times for 44 yards.

The shine came off the last two drives amid Kansas City’s ongoing penalty issues up front.

The Chiefs’ patchwork offensive line, which welcomed back right guard Trey Smith from a sprained ankle, committed five false start penalties.

Center Creed Humphrey was the only Kansas City offensive lineman who didn’t get flagged for a false start, while left tackle Esa Pole committed two false starts.

MINSHEW’S AUDITION ENDS EARLY

Even without Mahomes or their top four tackles — Josh Simmons, Jawaan Taylor, Jaylon Moore and Wanya Morris — the Chiefs put the game on Minshew’s shoulders early.

Kansas City handed the ball to Xavier Worthy on an end-around on the first snap from scrimmage, but that was the only designed run in the first two series, which resulted in a pair of three-and-outs.

Minshew — who had started 46 career games with Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Las Vegas before signing with the Chiefs — scrambled on third-and-forever after Esa Pole and Kingsley Suamataia were flagged for back-to-back false starts for the lone other run in the Chiefs’ first six offensive snaps.

Minshew finished 2 of 4 for 3 yards on the first two drives.

Kansas City managed two first downs on their next drive, which started at its own 6-yard line, but still punted before reaching the 30.

The fourth drive, which was Minshew’s last after he went to the locker room with a left knee injury, ended with a safety.

Minshew finished 3 of 8 for 15 yards and an 8-yard run.

SIMMONS’ SAFETY SPARKS O-LINE

Jeffery Simmons was a menace in the first half with two tackles, both for a loss. He also batted down two Minshew passes at the line of scrimmage.

But it was his safety, when he slipped past Kingsley Suamataia and tackled Kareem Hunt in the end zone for the game’s first points early in the second quarter, that lit a spark for Kansas City’s offense.

Humphrey and Smith were animated coming to the sideline after Simmons’ safety.

The Chiefs’ offense had managed only 27 yards on 13 plays to that point, with two of the team’s four drives yielding negative net yards.

That changed after the safety, and with Oladokun in for Minshew.

Kansas City managed field goals on the next two drives sandwiched around an 89-yard Tennessee touchdown drive.

Oladokun went 6 of 8 for 46 yards on the drives, which ended with Harrison Butker field goals from 54 and 41 yards.

Ward’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo gave the Titans a 9-6 halftime lead.

Ward added a 1-yard touchdown to Chimere Dike in the third quarter.

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