After a week off, the Tennessee Titans return to action in Week 8 when they host the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Despite a disappointing 2-4 start to the season that has many calling for the Titans to be sellers at the trade deadline, there are multiple reasons for Titans fans to be excited about this game.
Not only is Tennessee wearing its Houston Oilers throwbacks, but we’ll also see the debut of quarterback Will Levis, who is reportedly expected to serve as Tennessee’s primary signal-caller on Sunday.
It remains to be seen what the Titans will get from Levis in his NFL debut, but the team can do two things specifically to put him in the best possible position to succeed.
Meanwhile, the defense can lend a major helping hand, also, if it can keep this a low-scoring affair and capitalize on one of Atlanta’s weaknesses.
We’ll go over all of that in this week’s keys to victory below.
Protect Will Levis
It sounds simple enough, but we know pass protection isn’t that simple for the Titans.
Tennessee has surrendered 23 sacks through six games, the fourth-most in the NFL. And while some of those are certainly on the quarterbacks, pass pro has been consistently shaky all season long.
The Titans’ group upfront can’t afford to have any hiccups on Sunday with a rookie quarterback under center. It’s hard enough for a young signal-caller making his debut to flourish, but it”ll be impossible if Levis isn’t properly protected.
The good news is, the Falcons’ pass-rush isn’t exactly good, and Levis has plus-athleticism to escape trouble. However, as we know, Tennessee’s offensive line has the propensity to make any pass-rush look great.
Get the RBs going
The offensive line must be better at run-blocking, an area the group upfront has struggled with all season long, leading to Tennessee owning a rushing attack that is in the bottom half of the NFL, which is uncharacteristic.
Getting Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears going will take a ton of pressure of off Levis and open things up down the field. Not to mention, Levis showed he thrives off play-action during his days at Kentucky.
In addition to running the football, the Titans have to utilize their backs in the short passing game, both as primary and emergency outlets for the rookie quarterback to check down to.
Force Desmond Ridder into mistakes
The Titans’ pass-rush has been very quiet the last two games, with the team notching 33 pressures but just two sacks in that span. Tennessee’s front must start doing a better job of finishing, especially with the secondary’s struggles.
Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder is prone to turning the ball over. The Cincinnati product has accounted for 11 of Atlanta’s 13 turnovers, with six picks and five lost fumbles.
If the Titans can get pressure and finish, Ridder will make mistakes, which in turn will help garner extra possessions and quite possibly short fields for Tennessee, making life a bit easier on the offense.
If Tennessee fails to create havoc upfront, it’ll likely to be a long day for the secondary versus a group of Falcons pass-catchers that is fully capable of exploiting the Titans’ back end.
