Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Bills will be looking to go 2-0 on the 2022 season when they host the Tennessee Titans on "Monday Night Football" at Highmark Stadium.
If they can get there, Buffalo can also push the Titans to 2.5 games behind them in the AFC standings. So it’s a big, early game in the conference.
Here are my three keys to the game in order for the Bills to do that:
1.) Stop Derrick Henry, duh!
Anytime a team plays the Titans, their keys most likely start right here.
Henry ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns a year ago when these two teams matched up - also on "Monday Night Football" - in Nashville. He’s one of the best running backs in the game, and his combination of size, power, and speed is a huge task for any defense and defender to deal with.
The Bills will have their hands full, and need to make sure they are getting a lot of helmets to the football and doing everything they can to bring him down and not let him get going downhill. That’s going to be especially challenging without defensive tackle Ed Oliver and, possibly, without fellow defensive tackle Tim Settle.
The Titans will want to control the game with Henry as much as they can. It’s up to the Bills' defense to not let that happen
2.) Get up early
A great way for the Bills to not let the Titans control the game on the ground is to get up early on them and make Tennessee play from behind.
With A.J. Brown now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Titans don’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver. They will have to rely on rookies Kyle Phillips and Treylon Burks quite a bit.
It will be increasingly difficult for the Titans if the Bills make them one-dimensional and know they have to throw the football.
3.) Don’t let Simmons wreck it
Last week it was Aaron Donald. This week it’s Jeffery Simmons.
The Bills will be facing another top-tier defensive tackle and will have to have a solid gameplan to make sure Simmons doesn’t wreck what they’re trying to do.
On top of the gameplan, the interior of the offensive line - center Mitch Morse and guards Ryan Bates and Roger Saffold (who will be playing against his former team) - have to be sharp and fundamentally sound to execute, and at least neutralize Simmons’ ability to get the Bills offense off schedule.
Last week to combat Donald, Bills quarterback Josh Allen got rid of the ball very quickly and also ran to the edge. Maybe that’s a strategy they employ again Monday night?
NOTES AND STATS:
Follow me on Twitter: @SalSports
