Well hell yeah, y’all – feels damn good to be back. This year, the Tennessee Titans get the distinct honor of kicking off the season as apart of the annual Monday Night Football double-header in Denver against the young Denver Broncos. Sure, the game doesn’t kick off until 9:15PM Nashville time and we’re all going to somehow catch some sort of bug that makes us call out of work on Tuesday morning. But, it’s still pretty cool to get that spot to start the season.
This one’s going to be rematch of the Titans’ 16-0 loss in 2019. It was ugly…like….bowling shoe ugly. It’s a game I hope to never ever watch in my life again. But, at the same time, you could make the argument that it was THE most important game of the regular season for the Titans. The Broncos frustrated and stifled the Titans all afternoon. Marcus Mariota played terribly, and ultimately, that was the performance that led the coaching staff to putting in Ryan Tannehill, a move that would ignite this team to go on a run to the AFC Championship.
So, for the Titans, it’s a chance to get that awful taste out of their mouths. The Broncos ended 2019 on a high note, going 4-1 down the stretch. They’ve been one of the sexy picks in the AFC this offseason, and they’ve added some more electric pieces on offense in Melvin Gordon and Jerry Jeudy to help ease the pressure on sophomore quarterback Drew Lock.
The altitude is sure to play a factor in this one, and the Broncos seem to always start the season well in Denver. Conditioning will undoubtedly be a factor. This ought to be a good one.
Adoree Jackson and Vic Beasley will both be out for this game – those are two pretty big blows to the Titans roster. But, the Broncos incurred a huge loss of their own when Von Miller went down with an ankle injury that required surgery and landed him on IR. So, what do the Titans have to do to head back to Nashville with the dub? Let’s hit my keys to a Titans victory.
Get the run game going
I’ve been banging the drum for Tannehill for what feels like ages at this point. But, anyone who has actually watched the Titans since he took over knows he’s fully capable of winning games with his arm in this offense. That said, the ground attack is still the crux of the Titans offense. They didn’t get it going against the Broncos in that 16-0 loss, and the Broncos made ’em pay for it. They held Derrick Henry to just 28 yards, and the Titans offense as a whole to 39.
So, it goes without saying that you stick to your bread and butter and all other things flow out of that. It doesn’t even have to just be Henry. I know Darrynton Evans is out for this one (hamstring), but they can still use Khari Blasingame effectively, Tannehill has wheels, and Jonnu Smith has even shown he can make plays out of the backfield. The bottom line is ya gotta run the damn ball.
Pressure the young Broncos offense
The Titans invested in the pass rush this offseason, and tonight provides them with the opportunity to really oil that machine up. Lock has some weapons at his disposal, but he’s still relatively unproven and the Broncos have some question marks along the offensive line. The Titans defense HAS to capitalize on that.
If Courtland Sutton plays (questionable with a shoulder injury), he provides Lock with a safety net. He’s emerging as one of those do-it-all stud wide receivers in the NFL, and can catch just about anything within 10 feet of him. Not to mention, the speed they added at the group in Jeudy. So, it’s not just about pressuring Lock, but also about jamming the receivers and throwing them off of their rhythm to eliminate the big plays.
Tackle
Another step in not allowing big plays is to just focus on tackling well. Think about it – no preseason, this crazy weird offseason…we’ve seen it all weekend: sloppy football across the board. The Titans can ill afford to get a little lax and unpolished with a Broncos team that has Gordon and Phillip Lindsay in the backfield.
In this game, in this altitude, I say focus on the fundamentals and do what you do best.
Mose and I previewed tonight’s game on the latest episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast:
Listen to “Ep. 38: Broncos Preview, Breakout Titans, Clowney” on Spreaker.Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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