Titans Cruise by Bears
Sunday’s game was a breathe of relief for a Tennessee team on the verge of losing three in a row for the first time since the 2018 season. The Titans held a 17-0 shutout into the fourth quarter before a Bears field goal. Another touchdown made it 24-3 before two late Chicago touchdowns made the final score 24-17.
The offense was smothered by a formidable Chicago defense, held to just 228 total yards and 11 first downs. It was Derrick Henry‘s second lowest total of the season (68) and his lowest yards per carry total (3.2).
THE NEW GUY! @blaqbadger14
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— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 8, 2020
What the offense lacked the defense made up for in a rare but dominant performance. They harassed the Bears offense all day, forcing two fumbles one of which newcomer Desmond King II returned for a touchdown.
The defense finally brought the pressure as well, sacking the quarterback three times to go with six TFL’s. Tennessee got off the field very well not allowing a third down conversion by the Bears in through the first half.
Titans Face Nemesis in Colts
Tennessee takes on divisional rival Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night football this week. The two split the series last season, although Ryan Tannehill did not play in the first game.
The Titans benefitted from Andrew Luck’s unexpected retirement last season. The four time pro-bowler had lost just two games to the Titans in his career. Over his time with the Colts the head-to-head record was 12-2 in favor of Indianapolis, including a 10-game winning streak.
The last time these teams met was a thriller that came down to the final minutes. A blocked field goal return by Tye Smith gave the Titans a late lead they’d ride to victory. The Colts are in a tight wild card race that has four teams at 5-3. The two teams will be battling it out for the AFC South title as the season closes.
Rivers Looks to Continue Success
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers has enjoyed career success against the Titans. He’s thrown for over 2400 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions against Tennessee. Last year’s game was no different with 329 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s a new year and a new team for Rivers. Last year’s interception bug seems to have followed him to this season where he has 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Most of his success has come against woeful defenses in the Bengals and Lions.
The bad news is those defenses are very similar to the Titans. They rank behind both in passing yards per game allowing 275 to opposing teams. They’ll likely need to rely on the defense’s ability to force turnovers again while protecting the ball themselves on offense. The Titans come into the game ranked first in the NFL in turnover differential at +10.
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