The Tennessee Titans head north to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in a game that most Titans fans aren’t really looking forward to. The Bills are a much better team than the Titans, and they’ve been consistently at the top of the league over the last few years. The Titans, on the other hand, have struggled for a long time and the Will Levis experiment is failing.
Levis obviously isn’t the only player at fault for the Titans’ woes, but he is responsible for all 11 of the Titans’ turnovers. Head coach Brian Callahan still insists on starting him, though, so here they are, heading to face one of the top teams in the league with one of the worst quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
And the thing is, Levis has potential. He has the skill set to play quarterback in the NFL, but he lacks the ability to make appropriate decisions, he panics when he can’t find his first target, and he does not improvise well. He would benefit greatly from sitting behind a veteran quarterback for at least a season to learn the intricacies of playing quarterback.
All of that said, there are six things the Titans must do to secure a win over the Bills on Sunday. Some of these might be humorous, so enjoy!
No turnovers
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This will be, always and forever, a key to winning games for the Titans until they actually stop turning the ball over. Especially against a strong team like the Bills, the Titans cannot afford a pick-6, a fumble turned touchdown, an interception or a fumble that puts the ball back in the hands of Josh Allen. Those things cannot happen on Sunday because Allen will take full advantage and put points on the board every single time.
Bench Will Levis
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Of the 14 games Will Levis has appeared in for the Titans, he’s won only three. He doesn’t get credit for the win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 because Mason Rudolph got that win.
On the other hand, Rudolph has appeared in just one game, and he actually led the team to a win. Sure, the Dolphins were without Tua Tagovailoa, but he’s only one person. In that game, Rudolph went 9-for-17 for 85 yards and took just one sack.
Levis has already proven he’s not the guy this year. When you can’t beat the Indianapolis Colts on your home turf with one of the top defenses in the league on your side, the problem lies with who is under center. Rudolph deserves an opportunity at this point.
Defense: Do your thing
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The Titans boast the top pass defense in the league, and their run defense is top 10. The Bills actually have a better run offense than passing offense, which is weird for Josh Allen, but it’s still been effective so far this season. Both of the Bills’ losses came to strong teams in the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. The Ravens have the top run defense in the league and Houston has the fifth-ranked pass defense. So it is entirely possible that the Titans’ defense can hang with the Bills.
But that’s only if everyone plays. The Titans have six defensive players on injured reserve and Keondre Coburn is doubtful. T’Vondre Sweat, Ernest Jones IV, and L’Jarius Sneed are all questionable. If Sweat, Jones, and/or Sneed do not play, that changes the defensive game plan. But the Titans’ defense has enough assets that they haven’t let injuries stop them yet this season.
Trust in Tony, but get Tyjae involved
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The Titans offense runs through Tony Pollard. It’s been that way all season and will continue to be that way as long as he is healthy and not turning the ball over. Which he really hasn’t done often over his career.
The Bills have the fourth-ranked run defense in the league, so it won’t be an easy day for Pollard. Tyjae Spears is going to have to help with the run game this week because the Bills will be fully prepared for Pollard. With Spears on the field, Will Levis has another outlet to throw the ball to as Spears is very capable of catching a pass. Plus, Spears is a different type of running back from Pollard, which will force the Bills to adjust when he’s out there.
Field position
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Football is a game of inches and every inch matters. Starting field position often dictates whether a team will score on that drive or not. The Titans’ offensive struggles suggest that they need to have better field position to start their drives so that scoring can actually happen. The field position battle starts with special teams, so the Titans need Jha’Quan Jackson and Ryan Stonehouse to be at the top of their games this week. Jackson needs to have solid returns that put the Titans in a better position, and Stonehouse needs deep punts that pin the Bills inside the 10-yard line.
The rest of the special teams units have to do their part to make sure these things happen, too. That means blocking has to be on-point, and someone has to get down the field to down the ball or tackle whichever Bills player is returning the punt/kick.
Pray for a miracle
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Let’s be real, the Bills are a much better team than the Titans. The talent across both teams isn’t all that different, but the Bills have been established for several years and the Titans are still trying to find solid ground. Maybe the Bills players will get sick or have travel issues or have some other crazy nonsensical drama that forces them to forfeit or not play well.
On the flip side, you could pray that the Titans play to the best of their ability, and somehow end up being better than the Bills.
Whichever way you choose to look at it, the Titans need a miracle to defeat the Bills on Sunday. So, pray to whatever deity you choose, send good vibes to the Titans, and send bad juju to the Bills. However you want to contribute, the Titans need all of the help they can get!
