The Chiefs and Titans kick off Wild Card Weekend.

Playoffs? Let’s talk playoffs. The first game of the 2018 postseason has a few storylines to keep track of. Jon Gruden, who is definitely not avoiding talk of him becoming the head coach of the Raiders (again), is calling his last game. Marcus Mariota is making his playoff debut, while Mike Mularkey could be fighting for his job. And the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for their first home playoff win in 24 years.

Follow along with us for updates and highlights.

First quarter: Chiefs 14, Titans 0

Chiefs 14, Titans 0: The Titans didn’t go three-and-out this time! Marcus Mariota used his scrambling ability to get their first first down of the afternoon.

Chiefs 14, Titans 0: Tennessee hasn’t been able to stop the yards-after-catch ability of Tyreek Hill and Albert Wilson, putting the Chiefs in scoring range just like that *snaps fingers*. Then Alex Smith and Travis Kelce hooked up for an easy 13-yard touchdown.

This game could get out of hand unless the Titans can wake up on both sides of the ball.

Chiefs 7, Titans 0: A 15 yard-penalty on Titans center Ben Jones — and Chris Jones’ snatching the flag in the air — was the only excitement on what was yet another three-and-out. Might want to get used to hearing Brett Kern’s name:

Unfortunately for the Titans, the punt was kind of a stinker. Fortunately for them, the Chiefs got a 15-yard penalty after the punt. Jeff Triplette is in the building, folks:

Chiefs 7, Titans 0: Alex Smith’s on-the-money pass to Tyreek Hill was dropped (again). He made up for it two plays later, though:

The 45-yard catch set up another big gain when Smith connected with Travis Kelce for 27 yards. Two plays after that, Kareem Hunt punched it in for the first score of the 2018 playoffs. That’s a pretty good sign for the Chiefs:

Chiefs 0, Titans 0: A miscommunication between Marcus Mariota and Corey Davis turned an almost first down into a three-and-out.

A 57-yard punt set up an opportunity for Tyreek Hill to dazzle us, which he did — albeit with just an 8-yard gain.

Chiefs 0, Titans 0: Alex Smith, who has somehow turned into a deep-ball passer this year, found an open Tyreek Hill ... who dropped a would-be big gain. Then on third down, Smith hit safety blanket Travis Kelce for the first down.

The Titans’ D clamped down after that, stopping Kareem Hunt on two straight runs and then forcing Smith to throw it away on third down. The Titans now get the ball for the first time today.

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Before the game

The 2018 NFL playoffs officially get underway with the Wild Card Round on Saturday. The first game of the day features the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Tennessee Titans, making their first playoff appearance since 2008. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN (live stream at WatchESPN).

The Chiefs are in the postseason for the third straight year and fourth time under coach Andy Reid, taking the division title at 10-6. It’s been a strange, somewhat uneven year for Reid’s squad, but it did enough in the end to punch its playoff ticket.

Alex Smith had one of his better seasons, setting new career highs in passing yards (4,042), touchdowns (26), and QB Rating (104.7). The Chiefs also found a new star in running back Kareem Hunt, who won the NFL’s rushing title with 1,327 yards in his rookie year. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill fill out a passing game that struggles with consistency but is potentially deadly when firing on all cylinders.

The defense has suffered without lockdown safety Eric Berry, who tore his Achilles in the season opener. Despite his loss, there are plenty of talented stars the Titans have to account for on this side of the ball. Marcus Peters remains one of the best cornerbacks in football, while Justin Houston recorded 9.5 sacks in his first full season since struggling with ACL injuries the past two years.

The Chiefs started the season 5-0 and looked like genuine Super Bowl contenders, but they hit a massive hard patch in the middle of the season. The offense disappeared for long stretches as Kansas City lost six of seven games, nearly blowing its AFC West lead. But the Chiefs recovered in time to win their last four games and get some momentum back ahead of the playoffs. They have the on-paper talent to go toe-to-toe with the best of the NFL — if they could only get out of their own way.

As for the Titans, they arguably backed into the playoffs at 9-7, only making it by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17. After losing three of their last four games, they’re hardly entering the playoffs on a high note. Still, the Titans boast some talented pieces that could give the Chiefs trouble.

Marcus Mariota makes the first playoff appearance of his career, but he hasn’t quite taken that next step forward in his third year. Instead, he regressed in several areas, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions to just 13 touchdowns and averaging a dismal 6.2 yards per attempt. The run game has also struggled, with DeMarco Murray averaging 3.6 yards per carry while playing through multiple leg injuries. Murray will be touch-and-go this week as he tries to recover from a sprained MCL.

The Titans’ biggest strength lies in their defense, but even that hasn’t always been at its best. Safety Kevin Byard tied for the league lead with eight interceptions, but the Titans ranked 25th in passing yards allowed. They’re best up front, where the run defense allowed only 88.8 yards per game and Jurrell Casey got named to the Pro Bowl after six sacks. Slowing down Hunt might be the Titans’ best chance if they hope to pull off the road upset at Arrowhead Stadium.

Pregame reading

• Arrowhead Pride says the Chiefs defense has been better than advertised in recent weeks:

The 38 points scored by the Jets is a clear outlier in the last two months. Look at those points allowed numbers and then come back and tell me the Chiefs are a bad defense. They’re not. Those numbers say they are the worst run defense in the NFL but they are not. The Chiefs haven’t allowed 100 rushing yards in three of the past four games. They’ve forced 12 turnovers in their four-game winning streak.

Some numbers out there might indicate the Chiefs have been a bad defense this season but they’re not bad right now. This defense held the Steelers to 18 points at home last year. This is a defense that has the potential to help carry the Chiefs in the postseason.

• Patrick Mahomes made his NFL debut in Week 17, and he’s being set up for success in Kansas City:

And maybe the best part for Mahomes is he has something Alex Smith never had when he was a first-round rookie in San Francisco back in 2005. Mahomes has an Alex Smith, a 13-year pro in the prime of his career to learn from.

After years of searching for that one quarterback, it’s kind of funny how things turned out. Now the Chiefs have two.

• The Titans are big road underdogs, but Music City Miracles is ready to believe:

Look, I’m not saying the Titans will absolutely win this game, but I am saying there is a scenario where they are able to go in there and control the clock with run game. That makes for an ugly game. We know the Titans are comfortable in those. It would also keep the Chiefs’ explosive offense on the sideline.

There is no doubt this will be a tough test, but let’s not count the Titans out just yet.