Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Titans Wire
Can the Buffalo Bills add to their win total against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6?
In an effort to get more insight on the Titans, Bills Wire spoke to Mike Moraitis, managing editor for our friends over at Titans Wire, for this week’s behind enemy lines feature:
Q: Derrick Henry is leading the league in rush again. Is it as simple as that? He’s still churning along?
MM: While the Titans’ offensive line has been horrible in pass protection, it continues to thrive when blocking for Henry. Despite a huge workload week to week, The King simply isn’t slowing down, which is no surprise considering the amount of work he puts in during the offseason. Tennessee has done a good job getting him more involved in the passing game this year, also, which is a new wrinkle in the offense. I think Henry might just be the exception to the rule when talking about running backs breaking down.
Q: With injuries, the AJ Brown + Julio Jones game plan hasn’t gotten its full run so far this year. But when they’ve both been out there, has it been as scary as some thought it would be on paper?
MM: Definitely not. While Jones has had at least one good game this year (Week 2), Brown has been very quiet. Adding to that, both have been dealing with injuries the past two weeks, so we haven’t seen them together for a full game since Week 2. Even when in the lineup together, the Titans’ pass protection has been so bad, it’s difficult for Ryan Tannehill to even have time to get them the ball. It has been a disappointing start to this duo’s time together, but hopefully better days are ahead.
Q: Defensively, is the Titans’ secondary the weak link? Tennessee has some guys that can pressure QBs, but should Buffalo still air it out?
MM: Without question. Kristian Fulton has been very good in coverage, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the group. The Bills should be firing the ball all over the field to challenge this unit, which is especially susceptible to big plays. The only chance the Titans have to not get crushed through the air is for the pass rush to have its best game of the year. Watch out for Harold Landry; he’s playing like man possessed so far.
Q: In terms of the fan base, how do they feel when the Bills come to town?
MM: It leads to disappointment and frustration, really. A big reason Bills fans invade so much is because Titans fans allow them. Season-ticket holders selling their seats on the secondary market has been a big issue over the years, especially when it comes to facing teams with bigger fan bases like the Bills. The 2019 game was an embarrassment for many reasons, with it sounding like a Bills home game being among them. This kind of situation has been a hot topic of conversation among Titans fans for years, and they’re reminded of the problem when Bills Mafia comes to town.
Your prediction for the game and final score?
There is almost no reason to pick the Titans in this game, but the one reason I do have is why I’m still rolling with them. As susceptible as Tennessee has been to letdown games over the past few years, the team always seems to rise to the occasion in bigger ones, and that’s especially true when the Titans are counted out as much as they are this week. I think the Titans bring their “A” game on Monday night and squeak out a win over the Bills, 31-30.
