Cardinals-Titans Week 1 Q&A preview with Titans Wire
The Arizona Cardinals are set to face the Tennessee Titans Sunday in Nashville. The Cardinals only play them once every four seasons, so they are not common opponents.
To help preview the game, Titans Wire managing editor Mike Moraitis answered some questions to give us more insight about the Cardinals’ first opponent.
The questions and his answers are below.
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How different is the offensive system now that Todd Downing has taken over?
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Moraitis: The Titans likely stayed in-house with their offensive coordinator in order to ensure that much wouldn't change offensively, so expect the offense to still lead with Derrick Henry and work off play-action. I do expect to see a bit more action through the air this season now that Julio Jones is in the mix, though.
Do the Titans have an offensive weakness?
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
I would say the one spot to watch is at right tackle, where the Titans have a new starter in David Quessenberry. The four returning starters are rock-solid in pass protection and run blocking, but the jury is still out on whether or not Quessenberry is a true starting-caliber right tackle in either facet. The Cardinals should be challenging him early and often in Week 1.
Some project the Titans defense to be the worst in football. Will it be? Why or Why not?
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Well, the defense was pretty awful last season, especially on third downs, so things couldn't get much worse in 2021. This unit certainly has a lot of talent on paper, and it looked very good during the preseason, especially along the defensive line. That said, talent on paper doesn't always translate to the field and there are plenty of question marks (Bud Dupree coming back from a torn ACL, unproven players in the secondary like Kristian Fulton and Elijah Molden) that has me taking a wait-and-see approach. For now, I hesitantly project this defense to finish in the top half of the league, which would be a fairly sizable improvement from 2020.
Which matchups are you most excited for? Which ones do you worry most about?
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
I already mentioned Quessenberry at right tackle. Him having to deal with Arizona's group of talented edge rushers is a concern. Also, anytime DeAndre Hopkins is on the field you have to be concerned about him, and I'm not sure either Janoris Jenkins or Kristian Fulton will be up for the task. Tennessee struggled against an athletic quarterback in preseason Week 1, so the Titans keeping Kyler Murray contained is a major worry.
Game prediction and how
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
I have this one as a high-scoring affair, with both teams dropping 30-plus points. In the end, I tend to believe the Titans' defense is slightly better than the Cardinals', so I'm giving the home team the edge in this one. Titans 34, Cardinals 31.
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