Let there be football: the Tennessee Titans will open their 2022 regular season on Sunday against the New York Giants at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. ET.
One of the more interesting aspects of this matchup between Tennessee and New York is the fact that both teams are turning over a new leaf.
For the Titans, they have a slew of new faces on the offensive side of the ball, including three new receivers, two new tight ends, and a pair of new starters along the offensive line.
Aside from the additions, the Titans have had a major subtraction, losing their 2021 sacks leader, outside linebacker Harold Landry, for the season with a torn ACL.
Meanwhile, the Giants have a new offense entirely under new head coach Brian Daboll, who is looking to right the ship in New York after the team posted five losing seasons in a row.
We’ve covered how Las Vegas and NFL experts from different media outlets see this game going, but now it’s time for our staff to make its picks.
Let’s go.
Ryan Sikes
The Titans will have a bit of a feeling-out period in the early going of this game as quarterback Ryan Tannehill develops chemistry with his new targets. However, Mike Vrabel will lean on his workhorse in Derrick Henry, who is hungry heading into the season, which could spell bad news for the Giants. Speaking of, New York has a few weapons on offense, but I think Daniel Jones struggles to get much of anything going against the Titans’ defense, even without Harold Landry. Look for the Titans to put the pressure on Jones to cause an early turnover and rattle him. I don’t see this game being particularly close as the Titans cruise to a relatively easy, but perhaps boring, Week 1 win.
Final score: Titans 27, Giants 14
Tyler Rowland
The Tennessee Titans have to play better in Week 1 this year than they did last year. Last year’s offseason was filled with, unbeknownst to us, false optimism.
The promise of a star-filled offense was infectious. However, this offseason did not feel the same. Because of that, a Week 1 win is even more important.
The key to that win: turnovers.
Daniel Jones has averaged 1.29 turnovers a game during his career and I expect the Titans defense to force two takeaways. That will set the offense up for some easy scores and give the Titans a win.
Final score: Titans 27, Giants 23
Shaun Calderon
The Tennessee Titans are looking to avoid another season-opening dud, and I believe they do so in a relatively emphatic fashion.
The Giants are playing their first game under a new regime, and their first task is traveling to Nashville to face a Mike Vrabel-led football team that has been disrespected all offseason.
I think there’s a chance that Treylon Burks could make his presence felt early and often, but I expect both Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill to make a statement while the defense picks up right where it left off.
Final score: Titans 26, Giants 13
Mike Moraitis
A Week 1 matchup against the New York Giants should be a soft landing spot for the Titans to start the season after what we’ve seen from Big Blue these last five years, but it also brings an element of unpredictability.
We simply don’t know how the Giants are going to look offensively under new head coach Brian Daboll, and as the Titans admitted during the week, there isn’t any film to study on a Daboll-led Giants offense, either.
Also, it’s not like Daboll is working with a bunch of slouches on offense, as the Giants do have plenty of intriguing weapons.
However, I expect the Giants instituting a new system to lead to a slow start, something I’m expecting from Tennessee’s offense, also, but for a different reason.
The Titans’ new-look group, which features several new pass-catchers and two new starters along the offensive line, didn’t get any time together during the preseason, so the first time this unit plays as one will be on Sunday.
Thankfully for Tennessee, Derrick Henry and the defense will keep the Titans afloat while Tannehill and Co. figure things out. The offense will also get a bit of a reprieve, as Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux are unlikely to play.
Tennessee’s defense will have trouble getting to Daniel Jones thanks to his mobility and a beefed-up offensive line, but the front-seven will keep him contained and force him to win this game with his arm. The secondary will shine while the front-seven stifles Barkley, and ultimately a late turnover caused by the Titans’ secondary seals the deal.
Final score: Titans 23, Giants 20
