The Tennessee Titans are set to host the Detroit Lions at high noon in Nashville on Sunday. Right now, the forecast is calling for 54 degrees and partly cloudy. It’s the last regular season game set for Nissan Stadium. If Nashville wants to watch its team play another home game this season, it’ll come in the playoffs. Of course, that’s if they win the AFC South. Because of how neck-and-neck this race is with the Indianapolis Colts, that makes every game down the stretch imperative, even this one against a Lions team that is 5-8 and on the brink of a complete rebuild.
The oddsmakers seem to think the Titans will go beyond simply winning this one, and will dominate the Lions. ESPN’s match-up predictor currently gives the Titans a 79% chance of winning this game. They’re currently favored by 11 in most sportsbooks. Because of the way the Titans defense has played this season, I don’t trust ’em favored by double digits against pretty much anyone. Could they cover that spread? Sure. But, it’s a little too big for my liking. I think the over is the much safer play.
The over/under is currently set at 51.5. Given the way they’re scoring and the way the defense is giving up points, that over looks like a lock. Plus, it’s not like the Lions are completely incapable of putting up points. A lot of that is going to hinge upon whether Matthew Stafford plays or not, though. The Titans have hit the Over in four of the last five games, seven times total in 2020, and have done so in five out of seven games when the point total was 50 or higher, with one push. Based on how the Lions played the Packers a week ago, I’d say this one has real shootout potential.
There are a few scenarios this week that could clinch a playoff berth for the Titans, but they all begin with winning this game against the Lions. So, let’s get to it – what do the Titans have to do to win this game?
Titans Keys to Victory vs. Lions
Get up
I’ve been critical of this team’s intensity at times this season. I felt like they haven’t played up to the level of their opponents on several occasions this season – the first half of the Steelers game, the Bengals game, and the first half of that Browns game. Let’s be real – this is a NFC game against an opponent that has an interim head coach and a starting quarterback that’s injured and might not even play. Hell, it’s hard for ME to get up for this game on Sunday and all I have to do is watch it.
Paul Kuharsky wrote a great piece this week about the Titans showing a propensity for losing games they shouldn’t over the last several seasons. This has that sort of feel – in order to avoid that, step one is simply showing up ready to execute.
Feed the King
The Lions have the 29th ranked run defense in the NFL – the easiest way to not give them any sort of life is to pummel them early and often. The Titans offense is at its most effective when Derrick Henry gets going. So, get him going and ride him out. There’s no need to get too cute on offense when you have this match-up in front of you. Just get in there and clean out that Lions defense, control the clock and the tempo of the game, and pound this one out.
Consistent Defense
I’ve been critical of the Titans defense all season long (it ain’t like I’m the only one either). But, it really is crunch time for this unit to get things right and get ’em right on a consistent basis. We’re in the playoff push now – they have to get some consistency out of this unit. They did some things well against the Jags, but let’s be real….that was the Jags. The Lions are better, but still provide an opportunity to continue to build upon that Jags game. The Titans will have to play consistent defense to win this one.
Owen Reed and I got together to recap the games against the Browns and the Jaguars before looking ahead to the Lions game on the latest episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast. You can check that episode out here:
Listen to “Ep. 48: Catching Up on the Browns and Jags Games, Previewing the Lions” 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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