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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Titans will face the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at the Nissan Stadium.
Here are six things to watch for:
Marcus Mariota and the offense
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota performed well in last year's game against the Ravens, completing 19 of his 28 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a win. But this is a new year and a new week and Baltimore is again solid in defense, ranked 3rd in the NFL. A week after defeating the Eagles, the Titans struggled in attack last week in Buffalo. The Titans failed to enter the end zone, returned the ball three times and never rolled. The Titans will need a bigger day of No.8 and Co. on Sunday.
More Tight Ends?
OK, the tense ends of the Titans have been invisible in recent weeks, apart from dirty work as blockers. In the past two weeks, the Titans have not received any hold in the position group. Five games after the start of the season, the Titans have only seven shots combined between tight ends Luke Stocker (5-63) and Jonnu Smith (2-21). Titan's offensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur, said this week that he needed to do a better job of getting the tight ends involved. Will it happen immediately, and maybe Anthony Firkser, promoted earlier in the week, will he be in trouble?
Dean Pees handshakes
I put the top on Dean Pees handshake at 31 ½ – ½ being the possibility of a punch and not a full-blown tremor. Pees, in his first season as Defensive Coordinator with the Titans, was DC at the Ravens from 2012 to 17 before retiring and resurfacing in Tennessee. Pees acknowledged that it would be a special match for him against his former team. Of course, the most important thing is what happens in the game. How Pees tries to win – and how much he decides to put pressure on the Ravens' quarterback, Joe Flacco – will be interesting.
Stop the race?
One of the Titans' biggest surprises may have been the fight against running. After five games, the Titans are ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing yards, giving them 123.2 yards per game. Last week, the team missed 14 tackles. The Ravens were not very good on the ground (20th), but offensive midfielder Alex Collins was 217 yards on the ground and Javorius Allen contributed 96 yards. Quarterback Lamar Jackson himself has 72 yards. The Titans do not want to let Baltimore go.
Secondary Titans
Flacco and the Ravens had their own problems last week in Cleveland – they were kept away from the end zone in a 12-9 loss. But the Ravens have threats and Flacco has a very strong arm. Receivers Michael Crabtree (24-250-1), Willie Snead IV (23-253-3) and John Brown (19-396-3) will test Tennessee high school, perhaps in depth. Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler has been guilty of letting some receivers behind him, and the defense can not afford to let that happen on Sunday. The presentiment is security. Kevin Byard gets his first pick of the season on Sunday. He received Flacco twice last year.
Another memory?
OK, leave me a moment to go back to the past. Since my first season with the Titans in 1999, there has never been a rivalry against Titans against Ravens in the early 2000s. All the battles with Eddie George and Ray Lewis, the smack-talk, the playoffs, dude, we've all seen fun games. And they continued, from Steve McNair on his return to Tennessee as Raven in 2006, to the Titans winning in Baltimore in a 10-0 debut in 2008, in playoffs later this season. These teams played well last year. So, what does he reserve this Sunday? You have to look to find out what might leave another mark in the series.
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