The Tennessee Titans host the New England Patriots at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday at 1pm EDT.
The 2-6 Patriots aren’t having a banner year, much like the 1-6 Titans, and both sit at the bottom of the AFC. Neither team appears to have what it takes to turn their season around to make a legitimate run at the playoffs, but at least the Patriots have more than one win.
This week, the Titans and Patriots are relatively evenly matched. Talent-wise, on paper. When it comes to gametime, the Patriots have a bit more of an edge. This leads us to this week’s causes for concern, there are three major things the Titans are worried about heading into Week 9.
Titans currently hampered by injuries
If you look at the Titans’ injury report, there are a slew of new additions this week. Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Tyler Boyd, Andrew Rupcich, Tre Avery, Amani Hooker. And that is on top of the eight players already on injured reserve.
Obviously, not all injuries are created equal. Just because a player is listed on the injury report, doesn’t mean he’s going to sit out on Sunday. There’s context to consider but having so many players banged up at one time is definitely a cause for concern.
Quarterback questions remain unanswered
Mason Rudolph got the start against the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills over the last two weeks, but Will Levis returned to practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity. While Rudolph is the more experienced quarterback and would likely still be the better option against the Patriots, Brian Callahan continues to support Levis. So if Levis can go, we might see him against the Patriots on Sunday instead of Levis.
The problem with not knowing is that the players don’t know either. Which means they aren’t settled in what their role is because it might change depending on who lines up under center. Whoever plays quarterback has a major impact on how the rest of the team plays, and without knowing who that is, the Titans offense will struggle again on Sunday.
Offensive line shakeup
The potential season-ending injury to Andrw Rupcich could not have come at a worse time. With the quarterback questions looming, the line really needs to be in solid working order, and now it isn’t. Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry III, and Dillon Radunz will now all be backed up by backup center Daniel Brunskill. Guards JC Latham and Leroy Watson IV will handle the outside with John Ojukwu as Watson’s backup. Latham’s backup is Watson. They still have Nicholas Petit-Frere, but no one wants him on the field unless there’s no other choices.
The offensive line did not play well against the Lions last week. They should fare better this week against a much less dangerous Patriots’ defensive front, but they have to be smart. The Titans can’t afford to lose any more offensive linemen, so these guys have got to stay healthy so the line can hold.
