The Latest on the NFL playoffs on wild-card weekend (all times local):
5:15 p.m. ET
The Chiefs that won five straight to start the regular season and four straight to finish it have apparently showed up in the playoffs, racing to a 14-0 lead over the Titans.
Alex Smith connected with tight end Travis Kelce for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 2:15 left in the first quarter. It was the second straight TD drive for Kansas City, both covering 75-plus yards.
Smith is 8 of 11 for 154 yards and the score. Kareem Hunt has 25 yards rushing and the other TD.
– Dave Skretta reporting in Kansas City
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4:55 p.m. ET
The Chiefs are on the board first in their playoff game against Tennessee with Kareem Hunt, this season’s NFL rushing champion, plunging in from 1 yard out for a touchdown.
The teams swapped scoreless drives before Kansas City went 81 yards in just under three minutes.
Two big plays set up the short TD run: Tyreek Hill caught a pass underneath the coverage and raced 45 yards, then tight end Travis Kelce caught a 27-yard pass to the 2-yard line.
– Dave Skretta reporting in Kansas City
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4:35 p.m. ET
Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters hid out in the locker room during the national anthem before their playoff game against Tennessee, just as he has done all season.
Peters has never fully addressed the reason he protests during the anthem.
Fans unfurled a field-length flag during the rendition, and a B-2 bomber flew overhead, while the Titans and the rest of the Chiefs stood on their respective sidelines at attention.
Tennessee won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
– Dave Skretta reporting in Kansas City
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4:30 p.m. ET
Jon Gruden may be getting an up-close look at his future rival.
Gruden is providing the color analysis for ESPN’s broadcast of the Chiefs-Titans playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Associated Press and several other outlets have reported that Gruden will be introduced as the coach of their AFC West-rival Oakland Raiders on Tuesday.
Play-by-play man Sean McDonough congratulated Gruden on his transition back to coaching, and the former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach replied: ”Nothing is official yet but these Chiefs fans have been on my case since I got here.”
– Dave Skretta reporting in Kansas City
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4 p.m. ET
The Chiefs have only won two home playoff games in franchise history, the last in January 1994, so perhaps there was some trepidation among fans about investing in a ticket this season.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan vowed that their game against the Titans would sell out, but there were still plenty of seats available late in the week.
And with an hour left before kickoff, the usual snarl of traffic getting into the parking lots was relatively light.
Several ticket brokers listed seats Saturday for less than $30 apiece, including the fees.
– Dave Skretta reporting in Kansas City
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The NFL playoffs get started Saturday with a doubleheader starting in Kansas City, where the Chiefs will try to beat Tennessee for their first home postseason win in nearly a quarter century.
The fourth-seeded Chiefs won four straight games to cap the regular season and capture their second straight AFC West title. The Titans needed a win in their regular-season finale and some help to earn a wild-card spot as the AFC’s fifth seed.
The nightcap features the Falcons visiting the Rams at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
The Bills visit the Jaguars and the Panthers visit the Saints on Sunday, and the outcome of those games will determine whom the winners on Saturday will face next week.
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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL
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