Titans’ keys to victory in Week 2 matchup vs. Bills
For the fifth time in five years, the Tennessee Titans will be facing the Buffalo Bills, but this time it’ll be a home game for the Super Bowl favorites.
Tennessee has enjoyed three home games against Buffalo in each of the past three years, winning two out of the three. However, the Bills snagged a victory in Buffalo in 2018, leading to a split of the previous four contests.
In 2021, the Titans were underdogs to the Bills as well, although the spread was nowhere near as massive as the 9.5-point line on this game.
Tennessee will hope, as they did in 2021, to pull off an upset in a matchup not many believe they can win. If the Titans want to accomplish that goal, they’ll need to play their best football in Week 2.
Here’s a look at five things the Titans need to do on “Monday Night Football” in order to shock the world once again.
Put pressure on and contain Josh Allen
Syndication: The Tennessean
The Titans will have a tall task in even limiting arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, Josh Allen. Not only is he a great passer, he’s also an insane athlete who can make plays with his legs with the best of them.
Tennessee will be without its top cornerback in Kristian Fulton, which means the Titans will be starting second-year pro Caleb Farley and rookie Roger McCreary, both of whom lack experience.
The pass-rush must help these youngsters by putting pressure on Allen early and often so he doesn’t have time to pick apart the secondary. Also, the Titans have to make sure to contain Allen so he doesn’t pull off back-breaking runs.
The latter part is of particular concern because any pressure the Titans may get can be negated by Allen’s legs — and that’s an even bigger issue with the Titans badly missing Harold Landry’s speed off the edge, as our Tyler Rowland broke down in his film study article this week.
One way they can remedy that is by setting the edge better after struggling to do so consistently in Week 1.
Limit big plays
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The Titans had major issues with big plays in Week 1. Granted, they only allowed three over 20 yards, but they were all pivotal plays in the game.
Sterling Shepard had a 65-yard touchdown catch that was a result of broken coverage by Kristian Fulton, and Saquon Barkley ripped off runs of 68 and 33 yards, both of which helped setup touchdowns.
The Bills are capable of ripping off big plays at any time, especially with wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Isaiah McKenzie and Gabe Davis, assuming he plays. Tennessee’s young corners are going to have their hands full, so the pass-rush must step up big time.
The Titans have to keep everything in front of them and hope to limit the Bills to some field goals on their drives. If not, it’ll be a long evening for Tennessee and its fans.
Todd Downing getting out of his own way
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing had a horrible Week 1 showing against the Giants after making several head-scratching decisions, both with play-calling and personnel.
Downing did admit to mistakes and getting a little too cute with the former issue, but it remains to be seen if he can learn from those mistakes, as we’ve seen him make them for a season-plus now.
Trust Derrick Henry in short-yardage situations (can’t believe I have to type that) and try to get a bit more unpredictable with the offense on early downs instead of going with the run on first down so much.
Dominate time of possession
Syndication: The Tennessean
The Titans couldn’t get anything going on the ground in Week 1 and they can’t possibly hope to win this game if that’s the case again.
Henry was stifled by New York’s defense, which was the result of a great effort by Big Blue, but also a poor one from Tennessee’s offensive line.
Getting Henry going doesn’t just help setup the passing attack, it also keeps Allen and Co. off the field as much as possible. The 2019 and 2020 Titans could afford to get into a back-and-forth with Buffalo, but the jury is still out on if this version can. Regardless, Tennessee must control time of possession.
Let the kids play
George Walker IV-USA TODAY Sports
As the Titans continue to sort things out with their new-look passing attack, one thing is clear: the rookies need to play more.
Kyle Philips and Treylon Burks finished first and third on the team in receiving yards in Week 1, but they played just 26 and 22 snaps, respectively. Meanwhile, we saw Cody Hollister running around out there for eight snaps.
Burks adds the element Tennessee lost upon trading A.J. Brown: an ability to make big plays after the catch, something we saw from the rookie in Week 1. Philips proved to be reliable in a big spot last week and his route-running and sure hands should make him a consistent target on third downs.
It only makes sense to get the two players Tannehill appears to trust the most more playing time. I’d love to see both get at least 30-35 snaps apiece in this game, but the more the merrier.
