The Tennessee Titans were not expected to win in Cleveland by a lot of people, but here we stand with them at 1-0 heading into their home opener. The team they play, the Indianapolis Colts, have been the definition of “unexpected so far this year, as Andrew Luck surprisingly retired right before the season started. No matter if Luck or any other quarterback is playing for the Colts, they have had the Titans’ number over the years. Is this the day it stops or does it continue? Well, if it isn’t to continue, these six points could be crucial in a win from the Titans.
Offense
1) Paging Corey Davis
The Titans won big in week one versus the Cleveland Browns but wide receiver, Corey Davis, was noticeably absent on the stat sheet. The third-year wide receiver didn’t register a catch. For the Titans offense to be as good as it can be in the passing game, Davis cannot have another performance like this. Whether it was the coverage or the design of plays, the Titans have to get him involved this week and Davis has to work harder to get open.
2) Continue to feed Derrick Henry
The Titans did well last week giving Derrick Henry the football. He had 19 carries for 84 yards and one reception for 75 yards with two total touchdowns. Not bad at all. This week though, the Titans need to keep that same energy with him. He needs at least twenty touches this week and no matter what the success rate is on his runs, it’s good to keep feeding him the football because he is capable of eventually breaking out one of those big runs. Henry can wear on a defense with his 6’3″, 247 pound frame. Players don’t want to tackle someone that size coming down the stretch of a game, especially when Henry has been wearing on them all game.
3) Take some chances
This point is directly aimed at Marcus Mariota. The talented quarterback has been gunshy about taking chances in the passing game for most of his time here, opting to take the safe play. Well, for this year, that needs to be thrown out the window. He took a few chances against the Browns and this week, he needs to continue that trend if the Titans want to grow even more offensively.
Defense
1) There’s earthquakes and then there’s Cameron Wake
Natural disasters happen. Veterans visiting the fountain of youth doesn’t happen all the time. Cameron Wake seemed to visit that fountain of youth against the Cleveland Browns last week, as he was constantly harassing Baker Mayfield all game long. The Titans will need that same type of effort from Wake against the Colts. He is their most proven pass-rusher and he even on limited snaps, the Titans will need him to come through and put pressure on Jacoby Brissett. The more pressure, the more uncomfortable Brissett will be.
2) Stop the Mack Attack
The Colts have been known as Andrew Luck‘s team for a while, but with him retiring abruptly, the guy that is the engine of the Colts offense is Marlon Mack. He came out the first game of the season against the San Diego Chargers and established himself with 174 yards and one touchdown and in this game, he will be looking to establish himself yet again. The Titans, led by defensive end Jurrell Casey, will have something to say about that and for them to be successful stopping Mack, the onus will be on the front three, led by Casey.
3) Big plays
The Titans’ defense, especially their secondary, showed up and showed out against the Browns last Sunday, especially in the fourth quarter. The Titans had three big interceptions from their secondary and one of them was returned by Malcolm Butler to the endzone. This week presents the challenge of a young but seasoned quarterback in Brissett and the Titans. Although he has more experience than Mayfield, the Titans must again force some turnovers and make some big plays. Not only could those big plays turn into scores, but they can turn into short fields for their offense, which makes things easier on the Titans offense.
