The Tennessee Titans are facing a difficult Week 9 match-up against one of the top NFC teams, the LA Rams. This because the Titans will be without their best player, RB Derrick Henry, who is out anywhere from six to 10 weeks after having foot surgery.
After all, there is a reason this is the NBC Sunday Night Football primetime game.
It features a 6-2 (Titans) team visiting a 7-1 (Rams) squad in a battle of two first place teams. Expect plenty of offensive fireworks, as the over/under has been set at 53.5, with a very strong likelihood that the points combination will indeed exceed the total. While ESPN’s predictor app only gives the Tennessee Titans a 28.9 chance of winning, we think that is selling them extremely short.
It will be a tough challenge though, to say the least, as the Rams have the home field advantage, and the hot hand of a steady and effective quarterback leading the way for them.
Matthew Stafford is having the best season of his life right now, having been able to get away from Detroit finally. (Someone thrives when they leave the Lions, who could have seen that coming, am I right?) Stafford is 188-273 passing on the year for 2,477 yards, 22 TDs and just four interceptions. Those are incredible numbers, indicative of a playmaker who just doesn’t commit mistakes.
Tennessee will need to blitz him hard, and get to him before he can release out to his wide receivers. Stafford and the Rams don’t beat themselves, no sir, but you can get the best of them with a very strong pass rush that effectively shuts down their passing attack before it even gets off the ground and up in the air.
Do the Tennessee Titans have the defensive front to get this specific job done? A lot of people will be watching to see, as this game is expected to get high ratings.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.