“They have nothing to lose”
 

Can we just talk about how stupid this narrative is. What team this close to the SB “has nothing to lose”?

I get when people say this late in the season about a team already eliminated, and it might’ve even made a tiny bit of sense in the WC round, but this idea that the Titans have nothing to lose is ****ing reeruned. They think they’re going to the SB. They have everything to lose just like us.

I was thinking this yesterday. Every team in the playoffs has something to lose.

Every team has the same thing to lose. A trip to the SB

Titans are not the norm for a Super Bowl contender. RBs don’t dominate the league anymore and don’t last. Tannehill is having a nice run, but it likely isn’t sustainable otherwise they never would’ve been able to acquire him so easily.

Titans likely don’t have a chance of being back in this situation next season. They have everything to lose. This may be their only shot for a long time.

I've railed against that 'house money' shit for years.

Look - circumstances in week 12 may have said that you had no business getting here. But you're here now. That 2013 season where we weren't expected to do anything and then went 11-5 or whatever, it wasn't 'nothing to lose' in that damn Colts game. There was a TON to lose. Yes, we weren't expected to have been in that spot but then we were suddenly 1 half and 1 more game away from being in the AFCCG. And then 1 more game away from the SB.

We had absolutely as much to lose in any of those games as our opponent, regardless of the route it took to get there and the pre-season expectations. Your ante changes every week and right now the Titans have the same ante the Chiefs do.

Yeah, there's plenty to lose for Tennessee.

That was my thinking. Baltimore is kind of the same way but the media and their fans haven't realized it yet. This is probably Tennessees best shot at a super bowl whereas our window is pretty wide.

Doesnt matter though. We may have less to lose, but no team is hungrier after what happened last year.

Teams that “have nothing to lose” end up saying “It was a good run while it lasted” quickly.

/thread

A team whose only offense is a 26 year old, soon-to-be free agent RB with a ridiculous amount of wear and tear doesn't have a long term window for success.

And there is the rub. Which team's will/belief is stronger to attain that destiny to be the SB LIV Champion ???


Proverbs 23:7

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."


We will soon find out.;)

There’s far more pressure on the Titans than there is for us. The Chiefs have been to back-to-back AFCCG’s. Does anyone think that stops any time soon?

I know that we will be back in the AFCCG going forward but I want this now. Mistake-free football is needed and I believe we will win if they can accomplish that. Something other than whisky needs to quell the butterflies in my stomach...

Andy personally has more pressure on him than anyone in the league and I don't actually think it's close.

What is he, 1-5 in conference championship games? He loses this one after have a stretch where he lost 3 straight in Philly, how do you think next season goes for any of us?

For me it would feel a LOT like being a Blues fan. Every year, no matter how well the regular season went, we knew it was over in the post-season. So the regular seasons began to feel like these tedious slogs to the real test. That we were pretty sure we were going to lose.

And then suddenly they didn't. It WILL happen for you if you just keep giving yourselves bites at the apple. Andy WILL break through if he just keeps getting there. But man, the pressure will be enormous if he fails again.

He needs this win in a big way.

"Nothing to lose" mentality can be an effective psychological technique to help take the pressure off and play more relaxed and focused. Does it work all the time ? No.

Again, it is all about 'real genuine self and collective perspective' coming together. And that 'coming together' can be positive, but also can turn negative very quickly.

The biggest upside for us going into this game IMHO, is that we got hit with several Left Hooks we gave to ourselves for the most part that we did not see coming and 'still recovered' very quickly 'in a playoff game' which rarely happens. Confidence gained in adversity IS HUGE and we do triumph most of the time when it hits.

Do we have that luxury this time? No we do not IMHO. BUT we showed ourselves AGAIN whatever adversity we face we can work through it. Yes there will be some mini-adversities in this game BUT it will come down to again, "as a man thinketh in his heart so is he" as to who wins this game.

No there's not lol. They're the Cinderella story. They're the team that shouldn't be in the AFCCG. If they win, it's a huge upset. If we win it's because that's what was expected of us in the first place.

There's wayyyyyy more pressure on the chiefs than Titans.

This is far more the bigger hurdle than Derrick Henry and the play action IMHO. Good analysis. Hopefully the saving grace prior to the game being played is that the majority of players really don't know the complete historical context leading up to this game thus avoiding additional pressure for themselves to win. You know that some of the players do know the context and hopefully it will not effect them.

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Okay !!

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They like to play that card and yet Sunday is going to hurt like a real bitch if they lose.... for all involved.

Stakes are equally high here.

I actually agree with this. Tennessee has already overachieved, so the pressure is off. They have a tough, physical, well-coached team with a great RB and a QB who is on fire. They can take lots of risks and are going to hit us with everything they've got.

BUT

We have the best QB in the league, with a great stable of receivers, a defense that is rolling, and a probable future HOF head coach with a team as healthy as it's been all season. Playoff games aren't supposed to be easy, but we are good enough right now to beat anybody.

IF Andy keeps his foot on the gas and stays aggressive like he did against Houston, we will stomp these sons of bitches.

It will hurt more for chiefs and chiefs fans of we lose. I think it's dishonest to day otherwise. We had Superbowl ambitions from the second Rex Burkhead scored that touchdown in OT last season. Titans fans weren't even thinking about playoffs until like week 10 this year.

Absolutely agree.

Titans losing = Davidson losing to Kansas in the Elite Eight in 2008

Chiefs losing = Kansas losing you VCU in the Elite Eight in 2011

Tell me which fan base took the loss harder.

Oh yeah we’d take it harder for sure but to act like it doesn’t matter to them or their players? Nonsense.

They likely won’t make it back this far with Tannehill.

How the **** is the pressure off when they’re one game away from the SB and fully expect to win?

Another thing is, the Titans know they have to do extra things even on their best game to win. Reminds me of the Chiefs Baltimore game early in the year where Harbaugh was so nervous about up putting up points that he was pulling all kinds of crazy tricks. I wouldn't be surprised if Tennessee pulls a few trick plays out of their hat. We probably won't because if we play our game the right way and do it effectively, we will win. The Chiefs didn't panic last week other than throwing tyreek at PR, but that's hardly trickeration. The Titans have nothing to lose by gambling because the alternative is to just hope and pray we have an off game.

I expect the Titans to go all out.

Expect lots of 4th and short attempts. 2-4 4th down conversion attempts would not surprise me at all.

They know their D can't keep up. They know they have to score points to win this game.

It took them 35 points last game, some of that on some fluke shit.

And lets not pretend that Vrabel and Tannehill aren't fully capable of shitting the bed. That carriage can turn into a pumpkin at any given moment.

Yep. And I think Reid isn’t holding anything back. He’s going to open that offense up and let it go full ****ing speed. As long as the WRs can catch the ball....we’re going to score points.

By all accounts, the 2014 Royals were playing with house money and "had nothing to lose."

Wish someone had told me that. I was optimistic for the following year, but that night watching Gordon stranded at 3rd as the last out was recorded was ****ing heartbreaking.

Yeah, it's sports, but "nothing to lose" is what the Chiefs were in the Herm/Pioli era. You had no shot, you were already done, and if you weren't already done, you weren't any good to even think about going on a late-season tear. So you go in to play Denver or some team like that with "nothing to lose," because it's true-- your fate was already sealed.

Tennessee ain't playing with nothing to lose. They've made so much progress and beaten so many good teams, and they haven't been consistent enough of a franchise to show that this is their "we've turned the corner and can consistently compete with the rest of the AFC year-to-year" moment. They have plenty to lose.

The Titans have money to lose because if Tannehill looks like shit this game and they lose.....what the **** do they do with him?

I don't think Tannehill's quality of play in this game is going to affect his future with the Titans. They're going to extend him. Unless he has a legit nervous breakdown on the field. Like, he starts sobbing uncontrollably while ripping off his clothes at midfield. And as his teammates and coaches attempt to carry him away, he lashes out at them, throwing punches and kicks, while hissing and spitting in their faces. In order to keep everyone safe, Arrowhead security has to shoot him with a tranquilizer dart.

If that happens, then I could see them letting him walk.

I like pumpkin pie

Because they've already exceeded their expectations for the season. Win or lose, it's still been a success for them.

The mental aspect is focus on the tasks that you need to do right here and now. If anybody allows themselves to start thinking about the money, fame, and glory, they will be thinking about that and not what they need to do to accomplish those things.

Study and know your opponent. Know each and everyone of the plays. Take care of your body by proper foods and water. Keep a calm mind and be prepared for the tasks at hand.

So you think the Titans are this close and they’re willing to settle for less than a SB?

GMAFB They want it just as bad as we do. As they should.

I completely disagree, they have a ton of pressure as you said they have already exceeded expectations. So the point is they need to win because the outlook for next season is no better, this is their chance.

Personally these narratives about nothing to lose do nothing for me, both teams want to and need to win equally. Losing will suck for whoever that is.

Everyone is different in how they have to prepare themselves mentally. Some football players have to get angry. They remind themselves of a past hurt or perceived injustice or thing said. Others play with joy because they love what they are doing. If you want something and that is all you think about, it is probably not going to serve the purpose that you need.

Several of the Chiefs, from Mahomes on down, have expressed the desire to win this for Andy Reid. Some times that really works for players, to be playing for something more important than self.

Titans have nothing to lose? I thought Vrabel said he'd cut off his dick for a super bowl. Seems like he's in a no win situation here and has a LOT to lose either way.

Exceeded the media expectations maybe. I think if you asked most decent teams before the season what their expectations are they'll tell you it's to win a championship.

The Titans are the nerdy virgin that now has a chance with the hottest girl in school. They have EVERYTHING to lose.

Solid analogy.

You get the prom queen to disrobe and you fire off early, something tells me you're not gonna say "oh well, it was house money..."