The Tennessee Titans enter the Week 10 matchup against the Denver Broncos with a 5-3 record and a stranglehold on the AFC South, and coming off a game in which they played the Kansas City Chiefs very tough.
Life should be good, right? Well, not exactly.
Granted, there are several teams — the Broncos included — who would gladly change places to sport a winning record, but this season has been less than ideal for the Titans thanks to injuries and passing game ineptitude.
Thankfully, the defense has been able to save the day on several occasions, and Derrick Henry is once again proving to be a stabilizing force for the offense. Together, Henry and the defense are why the Titans are 5-3.
So, anyone who has followed the Titans in 2022 can probably guess what the causes for concern are here, but this week one of Tennessee’s strengths might be tested as well because of an all-too-familiar problem.
Optimism: Ryan Tannehill's (potential) return
While the passing attack wasn’t great with Tannehill healthy, it was even worse with Malik Willis under center, something that wasn’t all his fault.
Tannehill has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, and while he admitted he’ll likely still be dealing with pain if he plays this week, the veteran is trending towards playing after a full practice on Thursday.
We’ll have to keep an eye on the situation on Friday, but Tannehill’s return would provide a boost to Tennessee’s struggling passing attack simply because he’s capable of more than Willis is right now.
Concern: Titans' passing attack
While the potential return of Tannehill will be nice and certainly a plus for the offense, the Titans’ passing attack still figures to struggle mightily.
That’s because Tannehill can’t fix the protection issues, wide receiver woes, and awful play-calling, three issues that have plagued this offense no matter who is under center.
Offensive coordinator Todd Downing did admit the offense is too predictable and he needs to do more to help his receivers get open, but until we see him actually fix those things, it’s hard to believe he will.
Making matters worse, the Broncos sport the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL. If you’re holding your breath for an improvement this week, please don’t, because chances are you won’t be with us for much longer if you do.
Optimism: The (potential) return of Treylon Burks
Burks was designated to return from injured reserve this week, but he still has to be activated before he can suit up. The rookie looks to be trending in the right direction, though, as he’s been involved at practice this week and said the plan is for him to play.
Still, as we learned last week with Elijah Molden, just because a guy is designated to return doesn’t mean he’s actually going to play.
If Burks suits up, he could help out with the aforementioned separation issue the team’s receivers have had. The Arkansas product was the only Tennessee receiver to post above the league average (2.92) in yards of separation in every game he started and finished this season.
Any shred of hope is welcomed with Tennessee’s awful receiving corps., and Burks gives us just that, but he shouldn’t be expected to be a savior here.
After all, it’s not like he was posting huge production before his injury, and this passing attack’s issues are much deeper than just the absences of Burks and Tannehill.
Still, he should help at least a little bit, and that’s all we can ask for at this point.
Optimism: Derrick Henry
The Titans will once again look to lean on their rushing attack to get the offense going in Week 10, and that’s especially important with the Titans’ passing attack having to deal with the league’s best pass defense.
The good news is they have Derrick Henry and a matchup against a Broncos defense that ranks 21st against the run and is ceding 122.6 rushing yards per game.
Henry has been on a tear of late, with five straight 100-yard games under his belt that has put him atop the league in rushing yards. Adding to that, he is the only offensive player on the team to score a touchdown the last three weeks.
Concern: Titans' injuries on defense
For a Titans team averaging just 18.8 points per game this season, the effort from the defense is paramount if head coach Mike Vrabel’s squad wants to walk out of Nissan Stadium with a win on Sunday.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of players whose statuses are up in the air.
As of Thursday, a total of six defensive starters hadn’t participated in practice, including Jeffery Simmons, Zach Cunningham, Bud Dupree, Kristian Fulton, Amani Hooker and Teair Tart.
On the bright side, there is again a chance the Titans get Elijah Molden back, which becomes even more important if Hooker and/or Fulton don’t play.
Even still, losing Hooker, Fulton, or any of the aforementioned players will downgrade this defense, with Simmons and Fulton being the ones whose absence will most negatively impact the unit.
With the way the Titans’ injury luck has gone, expect at least a few of those six to not suit up on Sunday.
Optimism: Broncos' offense
Even if the Titans are short-handed on the defensive side of the ball, they might have an easier time overcoming those injuries than most weeks.
That’s because the Broncos are as bad as the Titans are on offense. In fact, the Broncos are somehow averaging less points per game than Tennessee, with their 15.1 ranking as the third-worst mark in the NFL.
Unlike the Titans, the Broncos don’t have one aspect of their offense they can lean on. Denver ranks 19th through the air and 21st on the ground, although the former ranking is, of course, better than the Titans’ (31st).
Denver’s offensive line can be exploited, and the Titans have the pass-rush to do that. Adding to that, there likely won’t be much room for the Broncos to run, with the Titans sporting the No. 2 run defense in the league.
With all that said, this Broncos offense still has a lot of talent all over. Russell Wilson might still have some of that elite quarterback left in him somewhere, and he has a bevy of options to throw to in Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and standout rookie tight end, Greg Dulcich.
So, while the stats say the Titans shouldn’t have many issues with this Broncos offense — especially after how they played against the Chiefs’ offense in Week 9 — there is a lot of talent capable of burning them if this group isn’t careful.
