Missouri football’s Beau Brinkley has shot at the Super Bowl
Beau Brinkley and the Tennessee Titans are one win away from an appearance in the Super Bowl. The former Missouri Tiger must defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in order to do so.
Former Missouri football long snapper Beau Brinkley is playing in the AFC Championship for the first time in his career this weekend.
The 2012 undrafted free agent has played all eight of his NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans. This year he signed a four-year contract extension and is becoming one of the best players in the NFL at his position.
Brinkley is a Pro Bowl alternate this year. If he had it his way, he won’t be in the 2020 Pro Bowl next week anyway. That’s because he is on one of four teams that have a shot at becoming champions. In order to accomplish that, he’ll have to knock off his hometown team to make it to Super Bowl LIV in Miami on Feb. 2.
The Kansas City native played his high school football just outside of K.C. in Kearney, Missouri. He’ll be close to home this weekend when they play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Titans, led by quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, have run through the postseason so far. They knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on the road in the Wild Card round and then beat the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens on the road last week. Another road win, and they are off to Miami.
Brinkley is part of one of the best special teams units in all of football. Punter Brett Kern is a First Team All-Pro who gives the Titans an advantage with field position time and time again. For those who don’t think special teams will play a role in this weekend’s game, look no further than the last time these two teams met.
The Chiefs had two big miscues in the final minutes of their 35-32 loss to the Titans in Week 10. Attempting to take an eight-point lead, Kansas City long snapper James Winchester snapped the ball when holder Dustin Colquitt wasn’t ready, and the Chiefs gave the ball back to the Titans on top 32-27. The Titans scored what would be the game-winning touchdown a minute later.
At the end of the game, however, the Chiefs had a chance to tie it. But Titans cornerback Joshua Kalu blocked the potential game-tying field goal, and the Titans walked off the field with the win.
Brinkley and the Titans are 3-0 at Arrowhead, including a win in the 2017 AFC Wild Card game. This weekend, they’ll hope for some of that same magic to upset the Chiefs again. If they do that, they will be in the Super Bowl.
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Former Mizzou running back Damarea Crockett is on the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers, who have a shot at the Super Bowl as well. Green Bay is on the road this weekend to play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship.
The rookie spent training camp with the Houston Texans before signing with the Oakland Raiders to begin the regular season. In October, he was added to the Packers’ practice squad.