If Mariota gets out of the pocket he is capable of rushing for huge gains himself and I expect the Titans to throw in a lot of run / pass options to stretch the Lions and keep them guessing. And that’s where the concern comes in. Lions TE Eric Ebron matched career high with five receptions last week and scored as he did previous four games with five catches. The major difference is the AFC South team, Tennessee, is coming off a loss versus the Minnesota Vikings in a game they expected to win.
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Week two of the National Football League season will see the Tennessee Titans head into Motown to take on the Detroit Lions.
Hill was able to do damage despite floating in passes to tight windows.
Detroit battles back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit with a 17-yard touchdown from Harrington to Roy Williams but fails on the two-point conversion attempt …
Abdullah, a second-round pick a year ago, and Riddick, a sixth-round selection in 2013, appear to be great options for Stafford when he hands the ball off or tosses a short pass. He certainly did against Indianapolis’ depleted secondary in the opening week. Mariota went 25-of-41 for 271 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and 1 intercept. Versus Stafford and wide receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, the emphasis must be on the passing attack. Unfortunately for them, the Detroit Lions are having their first home game of the season.
The Titans should be able to hold their own when it comes to stopping the run. but Stafford and his group of receivers should be able to take to the skies once again when they face the Titans. If not for two costly turnovers from the Titans offense, this game would have ended differently.
Detroit’s defense isn’t exactly stout. K Matt Prater made 43-yard FG with 4 seconds left last week, ninth game-winning kick with less than 2 minutes left in regulation or in OT. The offense will likely struggle against this Tennessee defense and the Detroit defense should help the Titans get back on track on the ground. Tahir Whitehead was the Lions leading tackler with 10 while Quandre Diggs and Devin Taylor had 6 tackles each. But the Titans gave the ball away three times in the second half, and two of those directly resulted in points by the Vikings’ defense. Their touchdowns included Tommie Campbell’s 65-yard punt return, Jared Cook’s 61-yard reception, Darius Reynaud’s 105-yard kickoff return, Nate Washington’s 71-yard reception and Alterraun Verner’s 72-yard fumble return. The two combined to have just 45 yards on 18 carries.
The Titans are 4-0 SU in their last four games against the Lions. Meaning, Mariota contributed 14-points of the Vikings 25. The best thing for the Titans’ offense to do would be to play ball control offense and keep the Lions’ offense off the field as much as possible. Tennessee has won its last four meetings with Detroit, including a 44-41 overtime victory at home on September 23, 2012.
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Chris Johnson and LenDale White lead Tennessee on the ground, each eclipsing the 100-yard mark and adding two scores apiece in a Thanksgiving Day victory … The Lions offense looked better than ever but the defense will need to catch up.
