Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans
After beating a Tennessee Titans team with Marcus Mariota at the helm last season, the Bills will be facing a whole new monster with Ryan Tannehill taking the snaps.
Why the Buffalo Bills win:
Through two weeks, both teams quarterbacks have thrown for six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Despite usually relying upon their defenses, these teams have been driven by their dynamic offenses. This game likely won’t play out like the 14-7 slugfest the Bills won a season ago and a higher scoring game is likely in the cards.
The Titans did a great job in Week 1 of shutting down Drew Lock and the Denver offense, holding them to just 13 points but struggled the very next week versus a weak Jaguars team. They surrendered 30 points and allowed Gardner Minshew to throw for 339 yards and three touchdowns and while they did intercept him twice they were able to drive the ball with ease.
The Bills offer a lot more in terms of weapons than the Jaguars do, and should be able to inflict more pain on the Tennessee defense. With a 36-year-old Jonathan Joseph and an average starter in Malcolm Butler, the Bills should be able to attack the Titans with their great wide receivers, especially with Brown and Diggs.
The Titans offense is efficient because of two aspects, big passing plays, and the run game. They have Derrick Henry who led the NFL in rushing last season and is sure to be a threat when the time comes. The Bills defense does a good job limiting big plays and should be able to effectively stop the Titans from breaking big gains. While the Bills currently sit third versus the run this season that has more to do with the lack of talent the Jets and Dolphins have in the backfield. The Bills were 11th last season and keying in on Derrick Henry should be the difference.
Why the Titans win:
First off the Bills offense runs through Josh Allen and if they find a way to contain the Bills quarterback in the pocket they should have a good chance. The Titans have one of the better pass-rushing duos in the NFL with Harold Landry and Jadeveon Clowney who should compress the pocket on Allen. As well as the up and coming Jeffery Simmons who has looked great every time he has stepped on an NFL field, the Bills offensive line will have their hands full.
If the Bills still don’t have the Milano-Edmunds tandem back, the Titans need to attack the secondary with their electric tight end, Jonnu Smith. Smith had a 63-yard touchdown versus Jacksonville and is a beast after the catch.
The Titans need to establish a good balance between the run and pass because they aren’t near as effective if Tannehill is asked to throw the ball a significant amount of times. Tannehill has been the most efficient passer in the league since the start of 2019 and has fit perfectly alongside Derrick Henry.
If they can run on the Bills defense and find occasional big plays through the air they could give the Bills all they can handle.
Verdict: Bills Loss