They have met in an AFL Playoff Game (1969), an AFL Championship Game (1967), an AFC Wild Card Game (1980) and most recently the 2002 AFC Championship Game. “Hopefully, that will turn stuff around”.
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This is cheating, but I’m gonna go ahead and give myself this one. “Then to do it, now we know we can”.
The Titans, however, have another challenge coming up on Sunday in the Oakland Raiders. Coincidentally, that was also the past year the Titans sniffed any kind of playoff contention, although they turned a 3-1 start into a 7-9 finish that resulted in the firing of coach Mike Munchak. They eeked out a victory in the opener despite giving up 34 points to the Saints.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in the final two minutes …
All players take notes, and Titans coach Mike Mularkey is a stickler for note-taking, often doing surprise spot-checks of the notebooks of young players. But Del Rio said he isn’t planning to run the defense this week.
Marcus Mariota is a mobile quarterback who can avoid pressure with his legs, but I’m still saying Mack will get his first sack. “It’s a collective effort”. Rookie wide receiver Tajae Sharpe has 11 grabs for 109 yards while 2015 Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker has hauled in nine passes for a team-best 125 yards and one score. But critical mistakes had tripped it up until the fourth quarter in Detroit. So it is big when you can get on a winning streak and win games back to back. “We have to protect our house”. Raiders are ranked 1st in offense, but they are dead last on the defensive side of the ball. Its two wins in that span have been one-possession verdicts against equally bad Jacksonville. Titans rallied from 12-point deficit to beat Detroit, fourth double-digit comeback in fourth quarter since start of 1999 season and first since 2006. Defensively, the Titans are yielding 20.0 points and 338.0 total yards (237.0 passing and 101.0 rushing) per game against the opposing teams. Going into it, this is a tough defense. “I feel like we’re definitely going to build off that”.
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The challenge will be equally hard for the Raiders if they don’t start generating some 3-and-outs, as well as big plays, on defense. Amari Cooper caught seven passes for 115 yards in last game vs. Titans.
