Here are bold predictions for the Tennessee Titans’ third preseason game.
Two games are in the books. One game remains, and then, the Tennessee Titans will have a little over two weeks to prepare for the Arizona Cardinals in a game that doubles as the regular-season opener for both teams.
A lot has to happen before we start talking about Kyler Murray DeAndre Hopkins, and J.J. Watt though. The Titans have some housekeeping to do on their own roster.
An 80-man preseason unit must be trimmed to a team of 53 men and a practice squad of 16 prospects. Tennessee also has to get their coach, Mike Vrabel, back (right now he’s still adhering to the rules of COVID-19 protocol).
Tough decisions will need to be made. Does Tennessee keep Chester Rodgers or Mason Kinsey (or find a way to keep both) because, whether you want to hear this or not, the Titans have a lot of really good players, and there’s no way that they’re taking every single one of them into the regular season.
That means that there’s a possibility that guys we know pretty well (Jeremy McNichols, Dane Cruikshank) might be left off of the roster, and new guys like Racey McMath and Brady Breeze might be among the 16 that make the aforementioned practice squad.
Yes, this final game is of the utmost importance, whether it counts or not. Here are four extremely bold predictions on what happens when we get to kickoff.
Tennessee Titans hold Bears to less than 150 yards of total offense
Six points. That’s what you get when one of the guys on your team gets in the end zone. That could come on a rushing attempt, a passing play, a kickoff or punt return that’s taken back to the house, or by your defense cashing in on a turnover by the other team’s offense. There are quite a few ways that you can cash in for six points.
You can also post three safeties or two field goals. Six points don’t sound like much, but depending on how they are scored and what juncture of the game they are earned, it could shift momentum and be the difference between earning a win or hanging a loss on a ledger.
The Tennessee Titans know that well, and they’ve ensured that their offensive, defensive, and special teams units have made sure, during the first two preseason games, that momentum stays in their favor. The mindset is easy to see. Don’t give up six points to the other team. Try and end every drive on offense with six points of your own.
Six points are also what the Titans have allowed over the course of the first two preseason games. They’ve been stingy, and with jobs on the line and so much that still needs to be figured out from the roster’s standpoint, we may be on a collision course with Tennessee’s most dominant performance of the preseason. That would truly be a statement in itself if that were to happen.
Expect another dominating performance on defense.
Matt Barkley leads two touchdown drives and throws for 200 yards
The Titan Sized staff has to write a bit of a retraction here. When the Tennessee Titans said goodbye to DeShone Kizer and brought Matt Barkley in, some of us were of the opinion that the move was more of the lateral variety than an upgrade. That was a statement made in error.
Sure, we’re just basing this on two preseason games, but Barkley, despite the fact that his career hasn’t progressed in the manner that he would have liked, is a more polished signal-caller than Kizer is, as he should be.
He’s been around for a while, so he’s supposed to be better than DeShone Kizer. He’s supposed to be better than Logan Woodside, and even though both he and Woodside have battled to what feels like a draw in the race to determine who Tennessee’s backup quarterback is, it’s Barkley that should be seen as the guy who should seize the opportunity in Tennessee’s final preseason game and win the job.
Tennessee employed the strategy of alternating both Barkley and Woodside on each offensive possession versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That same strategy could be in play when they face the Bears in the season finale. Expect Barkley to play lights out versus a bunch of guys who are probably not going to make the roster. Two touchdowns and 200 yards passing sound about right.
Tennessee Titans defense forces four turnovers
Yep, you read that correctly. Take a Bears team that has elected to walk into the 2021 regular season with Andy Dalton as its starter. Add a pinch of rookie sensation Justin Fields and a forgotten Nick Foles. Throw in a dash of a Tennessee Titans team that will be rolling out some hungry defensive prospects that are trying to prove that they belong on this team, and what do you have?
You have an interesting mixture of aggressive defensive play and an opposing offense that may press a little. That smells like a recipe for sacks and turnovers. Tennessee will have an opportunity to get quite a few of both.
This isn’t your typical collection of guys who are just hanging out and waiting to be released. Tennessee Titans General manager Jon Robinson has stocked this team quite well, so well that, when the dust clears and the smoke settles, guys are going to fall victim to the numbers game.
The Titans may not have room for them, but they seemingly haven’t gotten the memo that this will be their last game in Tennessee’s uniform, at least for now.
Many of the Titans’ reserves have already proven that they deserve to play in the NFL somewhere. Expect them to play like it tonight, especially on defense. Four turnovers and a few more sacks sound like reasonable expectations.
Tennessee Titans win by three touchdowns
So, in conclusion, if our math is correct (and we believe that it is), Matt Barkley’s two touchdowns give Tennessee 14 points before we play a down. Let’s figure in two field goals by Sam Ficken, another TD drive that’s engineered by Logan Woodside. That puts us at about 27 points, which is right in line with what we’ve seen from this Tennessee Titans team over the course of the first two preseason games.
Tennessee’s defense has been lights out. As mentioned earlier, they held the Falcons and the Buccaneers to a field goal apiece. They should hold the Chicago Bears offense in check as well, seeing as how it’s one that, if history is any indication, could be prone to offensive droughts once the games begin to count against the win-loss total.
It’s doubtful that they’ll be as explosive as that of the Falcons or Bucs. Tennessee should coast in this one as they’ve coasted in the other two games, playing in front of the home crowd in the friendly confines of Nissan Stadium will aid them in that.
This will be an almost flawless performance that’s fueled by both skill, well-oiled machines on offense and defense, and the emotions of a supportive fan base that didn’t get to attend games in 2020 as often as they would have liked.
Sure, it’s a preseason game. Ultimately, it won’t count, but if you’re not a little excited, you may want to check your pulse.