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Malcolm Butler is about to face his most important game with Tennessee Titans

By Will Lomas

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14: Michael Crabtree #15 of the Baltimore Ravens catches a pass to score a touchdown in the first quarter while defended by Malcolm Butler #21 of the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14: Michael Crabtree #15 of the Baltimore Ravens catches a pass to score a touchdown in the first quarter while defended by Malcolm Butler #21 of the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee Titans biggest offseason acquisition facing a huge challenge this weekend.

Malcolm Butler has had a hell of a year for the Tennessee Titans, but not in the way we all anticipated.

During the preseason and training camp, all we saw and heard was that Butler hadn’t lost a step and that he was dominating Corey Davis.

Great, that means the Titans would go into this season with an up and coming star in Adoree Jackson (check), a solid CB2 in Logan Ryan (check) and now a play making wildcard that could be used in a variety of ways (…….um….).

Let’s just call a spade a spade, Butler has gotten routinely beaten to the point where he was targeted by Joe Flacco consistently and gave up crucial receptions and a TD to start the game.

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This weekend will be even worse with Phil Rivers on the other side of the field and a plethora of targets and it is going to be a nightmare for the Titans if Butler can’t get back on his game.

If i was going to guess, this is how the Titans DBs will line up against the Chargers WRs:

-Adoree Jackson covers Keenan Allen

-Logan Ryan covers Tyrell Williams

-Malcolm Butler covers Mike Williams

Now, understand that in a vacuum, Mike Williams isn’t scary. Over the last three weeks he has caught 5 passes for 64 yards and no touchdowns.

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In fact, even before the season this would have been a great matchup for Butler. Williams is slow and makes a living of beating guys in trail position and by being aggressive at the catch point. He exactly the type of DB you don’t want to throw jump balls against because he is looking to take the ball away not just swat away a pass.

However, lately he is getting attacked ever way. He is stopping his feet or failing to affect the WR on deep passes, on jump balls he ends up in bad position and there are large portions of the game where it looks like he just kinda in the wrong position.

Williams is just the kind of wide receiver who could have a day against Butler by posting him up and making a play on the ball in the air.

London trips tend to have a weird effect on teams. Players do weird things and coaches make weird calls, but the weirdest thing is that if the team that gets momentum and takes control early usually comes out with the win.

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The Titans can’t afford to allow 14 quick points like they did vs Baltimore and they have to figure out a way to get on the board early. What can’t happen is Butler gets beaten early and often as the Titans struggle to figure out how to help him in coverage.

This is a huge game for the Titans because it can either help stop the bleeding going into a bye week or it can push them from a great 3-1 start down to a sub .500 team in less than a month.

All eyes should start on this matchup defensively and how well the Titans can protect Marcus Mariota. Those two questions will go a long way in figuring out the outcome of the game.

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