The Tennessee Titans are back this Sunday, as they take on the 1-2 Atlanta Falcons.
Now as evidenced above, Atlanta is 1-2, but the Titans are also 1-2. Both teams desperately need a win to keep any early hope for the playoffs alive.
The Titans looked like they were sleepwalking in the 1st half last week against Jacksonville. The offense struggled, specifically the offensive line, and the defense let up too many big plays early on.
They can’t afford to do the same against a Falcons team that employs one of the more dangerous offenses in the NFL. Led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Falcons continue to put up great numbers on offense.
Without further ado though, here are 3 keys that’ll be sure to give the Titans a win tomorrow in Atlanta.
1. The Titans’ Offense Can’t Be Stagnant
I’ve already explained the struggles of last week for the Titans offense. Those struggles can’t occur tomorrow.
Why? Simple, the Falcons offense will rack up a lot of yards and a lot of points. No type of disrespect to the Titans’ defense, their defense is still a good one that has a lot of playmakers.
But it isn’t wise to rely on your defense to shut down an explosive offense like Atlanta’s. Unless your defense can run out some sort of elite pass rush with a sound secondary, you’re in for some trouble.
This is where the offense comes in. The offense has to be able to keep up with the constant scoring.
Looking at you Marcus Mariota.
If they can’t, then you can just go ahead and give the win to the Falcons.
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2. Keep Any Play Involving Julio Jones In Front of You
It’s no secret that Julio Jones is one of the NFL’s most explosive players. He’s the definition of a true #1 WR.
He has a big frame to go along with his massive catch radius. But not only can he beat you up top, he has the game breaking speed to beat you over the top as well.
In other words, he’s a WR you create on Madden.
That’s how much of an athletic specimen he is.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he was made in a lab.
So how do the Titans stop this crazy talent? By doing the simple things, like keeping any underneath catch made by Julio in front of them. Doing so will take away his chances to take a simple 4-yard catch and turn it into a 70-yard touchdown.
It isn’t an easy task, but it’s a task that must be done in order to give the Titans their best chance to win.
3. Arthur Smith Needs a Big Rebound of a Game
While a lot of the blame for this boring Titans offense has been put on Marcus Mariota, at time, OC Arthur Smith hasn’t put the offense in positions to succeed.
Smith has made some questionable decisions with his playcalling over the last 2 weeks, First, going away from Derrick Henry in the 4th quarter when Henry had a hot hand. Second, and maybe for the whole year, not finding ways to get Corey Davis and Adam Humphries more involved.
Smith has to find a way to get those 2 game changers more involved in the offense. When they’re both at the top of their game, this offense can look much much better.
Look for Smith to try and get his 2 talented WRs involved early against a depleted Falcons secondary.
