Tennessee was also mistakenly made a favorite away from home last week against the Cleveland Browns and fell flat in a 28-14 loss after routing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 42-14 as a three-point underdog in the season opener.
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Meanwhile, Marcus Mariota remains the new face of the Titans franchise and hopes to bounce back from a mediocre performance versus the Browns after lighting up the Bucs. On the ground, Frank Gore had 57 yards in 15 attempts. What was more impressive is the fact that McCluster made great decisions when running the ball, his cuts were flawless and he made consistent gains on the ground. You love playing in these games. He caught all four targets and took them for 26 yards. Slowly, Mariota peered up, got back on his feet, slightly limped towards his shoe, and returned to the sideline. With this Sunday approaching as a short week for the Colts, and with their team and QB struggling, the Titans could not get them at a better time.
Jeremiah Poutasi missed several key blocks that led to Mariota being brought down. Then comes game time and we realize that we still have a lot to learn.
This game, despite how good the Titans looked before, should come as no surprise to fans of the Titans. Chance Warmack, Antonio Andrews and Cody Riggs are questionable.
Jamon Meredith will start in Warmack’s place. Both touchdowns were deep connections to Travis Benjamin.
That’s because they’ve been at the top of the division so often. Mariota was too good. The Titans coaching staff will need to make a tough decision when Hill is declared fit for contact. One of the most enjoyable parts of the season is watching how divisions sift out in the early going.
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The Titans have not had a physical man in the center of the defensive line since Albert Haynesworth, if Al Woods can emerge as a disruptive presence, he could play himself into a starting position instead of just being a rotational player. The Titans are 3-16-2 ATS in their last 21 vs. AFC and 16-34-4 ATS in their last 54 games overall.
