The Titans might be the unlikeliest 5-2 team in the NFL. Coming into the Sunday night showdown with Kansas City, the Titans still have given up more points than they have scored this year, thanks to a 41-7 Week Two blowout in Buffalo.

But what the Titans lack in firepower and health, they seem to make up for with grit and their willingness to grind. It will take their best performance of the season thus far to win in KC.

First down

Control the game. The Titans won in Houston with ball control and running Derrick Henry for 219 yards against the lowly Texans. The Chiefs are far from the Texans in terms of talent, but the Titans would love to hold the football for nearly 35 minutes against the Chiefs and take their chances with Henry carrying the load.

Second down

Work on defense. The Titans defense has been playing much better and has stopped a lot of the explosive plays that plagued them much earlier in the season. They will need their pass rush to harass Patrick Mahomes and not allow him to make big plays down the field, if they are going to have a chance Sunday night.

Third down

Catch a break. When you are the underdog on the road, one of the best things that can be an equalizer is a turnover. The Titans need to win the turnover battle, which means not handing the ball to the Chiefs, and getting a takeaway or two themselves to help take some of the explosiveness out of the Kansas City offense.

Fourth down

Hope that Tannehill can go. With all due respect to rookie Malik Willis, this is a game in which the Titans need Ryan Tannehill at the controls of the offense and need him to operate it efficiently. Tannehill’s ankle and the illness that got him late in the week prevented him from making the trip to Houston. But the Titans need him back and laying well Sunday night.