The Tennessee Titans (5-3) are set to host the Denver Broncos (3-5) in an AFC showdown between two teams going in opposite directions this season.
For the Broncos, they’re a desperate football team full of underachieving talent on offense and are coming off a much-needed bye week and playing for the chance to keep their slim playoff hopes every week.
As for the Titans, their situation isn’t great thanks to struggles on offense and a banged-up team, but it isn’t anywhere near as dire as Denver’s. Tennessee heads into this weekend with a 2.5-game lead (really three games) or more over the entire division.
The fact that their biggest competition for the AFC South — the Indianapolis Colts — is in total disarray and recently fired their head coach and hired a former player with no coaching experience only makes their outlook better.
The Titans have a good opportunity in front of them to regain the positive momentum they built during the recent five-game winning streak. To do so, they will have to beat a talented and hungry football team that’s seeking a fourth win in the worst way possible.
Let’s go over the three keys to victory the Titans must accomplish in order to give themselves the best chance at ending the day with their sixth victory over their last seven outings.
Present a balanced attack on offense
Ever since rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks left the lineup with a turf toe injury, the passing offense has consistently struggled to get anything going.
This problem was only amplified after starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill was forced to miss the last two games with an ankle injury. Thankfully, the Titans’ top quarterback and wide receiver will be back on the field this afternoon.
Saying the team needs the two of them would be a massive understatement. In the previous two games that both Tannehill and Burks were on the field together, the Titans’ offense scored a combined 48 points in the first half alone in each of those games.
NFL first-round rookie WR target shares and yards per route run through two games.
32%, 2.76 Drake London 🌶️
24%, 2.17 Garrett Wilson 🔥
23%, 1.66 Chris Olave 😤
22%, 3.40 Treylon Burks 22% 👀👀👀
11%, 1.06 Jahan Dotson 11%Utilization Profiles: pic.twitter.com/BJybxkvGKv
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) September 23, 2022
That’s not to say that they’re solely responsible for that type of production, but the two of them allow the Titans’ offense to be completely balanced when they’re on the field together alongside superstar running back Derrick Henry.
Burks wasn’t putting up crazy numbers before the injury or anything like that, but anytime you watched him it genuinely felt like his breakout game could be coming at any moment.
The impact the rookie made was especially impressive when you consider the fact that he was often used in a limited role over those first four weeks.
Needless to say, it’s time to take the training wheels off at this point of the season.
Tennessee clearly believed in Burks enough to draft him in the first round with aspirations of him eventually becoming the team’s next franchise wide receiver.
And to be perfectly honest, it can’t get much worse than it already is at the position for Tennessee overall.
Titans WR ranks this season:
NFL RANK
rec 51 32nd
rec yds 658 32nd
rec TD 1 32nd pic.twitter.com/mBTJwkCR4a— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 11, 2022
The Titans’ wide receiver room already ranks dead last in every major statistical category.
Now that Burks is fully healthy, it’s time for the passing attack to go down swinging with him as their primary No. 1 target going forward.
Henry, on the other hand, has been on a tear ever since the Arkansas product left the Week 4 game early.
Since then, the perennial All-Pro ball carrier has put the offense on his back, rushing for 678 yards and seven touchdowns on just 129 carries (5.25 yards per carry) over that span.
King Henry has also rushed for over 100 yards in each of those contests, averaging a whopping 135.6 yards on the ground per game in the process.
Derrick Henry since Week 3:
NFL RANK
Touches 163 1st
Scrim yds 903 1st
Total TD 8 T-2ndThe king is back 👑 pic.twitter.com/3eCSENWKAi
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 10, 2022
Now that Henry has hit his stride, his mere presence is only going to make life easier for the rookie wideout.
Although, this is hardly the ideal pass defense to face in your first game back from injury. Denver currently ranks as the stingiest pass defense in the league, only allowing an average of 165.8 yards per game.
Fortunately for Burks and Co., Tennessee’s offense will face a Broncos defense that is at least missing arguably its best player in safety Justin Simmons.
The Titans are also catching a break now that Denver doesn’t have Bradley Chubb rushing off the edge anymore after the Broncos traded him to the Dolphins.
Nor will the Broncos have their best remaining pass-rusher, Baron Browning, as he’s been ruled out of Sunday’s action.
Whoever is out there for either team, one thing is for certain: the Titans need to establish a balanced attack on offense if they want to accomplish any of their big goals down the line.
Today is a perfect opportunity to start taking a positive step in that direction.
Find a way to make Russell Wilson uncomfortable
The Titans were obviously hit with some devastating news after finding out that Tennessee’s tenacious defensive front will be extremely short-handed this weekend.
Both Jeffery Simmons (ankle) and Bud Dupree (hip) are officially ruled out for Sunday’s contest after their unfortunate nagging injuries became too much to overcome.
The Titans come into this game as one of the best defenses in football ever since they turned their season around back in Week 3.
Not only are they allowing just 16 points per game over that time period, but they’ve also been one of the most efficient and well-rounded defenses in all of football.
The #Titans defense continues to be ELITE even after playing the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense.
Since week 3, Tennessee’s only allowed 16 PPG while also ranking:
– 1st in Rush EPA
– 1st in Rushing Success Rate
– 4th in Success Rate
– 6th in EPA/Play
– 10th in Dropback Success Rate pic.twitter.com/Afnzpvfi25— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) November 8, 2022
Not having Simmons and Dupree definitely changes things, though.
The Titans come into this game having blitzed less frequently than any other team in the NFL (15 percent), yet, Tennessee’s defense has also recorded a league-high pressure rate of 31.7 percent without having to blitz, per Next Gen Stats.
Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen may have to get more creative with his blitz packages in this one, but this group is undoubtedly deep, well-coached, and capable of making its presence felt regardless of the absences.
Look for Denico Autry, Rashad Weaver, Teair Tart, Demarcus Walker, and Mario Edwards Jr. to lead the way as Tennessee’s defense tries to make Russell Wilson uncomfortable all game long.
Make the Broncos earn every yard
This is a crucial aspect of the Titans’ defense that they’ve had a ton of success with as of late.
After struggling with allowing big plays to the opposing offense earlier in the year, the Titans have done a great job of making the opponent earn everything they get as of late.
The Titans’ defense has excelled at forcing the opponent to produce long drives in order to put points on the board. This is a trend that has to continue on Sunday if Tennessee is going to leave Nissan Stadium with a 6-3 record.
Preventing the big play will be a bit more difficult without starting safety Amani Hooker, but at least the secondary is finally getting second-year corner Elijah Molden back into the fold.
Adding to this unit’s injury concerns, Tennessee’s No. 1 cornerback, Kristian Fulton, is questionable. Not having him for this game would be an even bigger blow than losing Hooker.
As long as the Titans can prevent themselves from getting in their own way, force the Broncos to drive down the field, and make them settle for three points when necessary, they should give themselves a strong chance of leaving Week 10 with a victory.
