The Saints finish the regular season with two road games starting tomorrow in Nashville, Tennessee. Looking at the Titans 8 and 6 record you might not think of them as dangerous, but time to reconsider. The Titans won six of their last eight games and are fighting for a playoff spot. This game is going to be an all day sucker!
The Titans are stout on defense, allowing only 19 points per game. Tennessee’s D gives up yards in between the 20's, but they perform well in the red zone. The Saints will also have their hands full with the Titans offense. Tennessee features a ground and pound rushing attack spearheaded by running back Darrick Henry.
The Titans want to run the football and they make no attempts to hide or disguise that fact. Tennessee averages 130 yards a game on the ground. Henry leads the Titans rushing attack averaging nearly 5 yards a carry, with 1,329 yards on 271 carries and 13 touchdowns.
Quarterback Ryan Tennehill is enjoying a rebirth with this Tennessee Titans team. Since taking over at QB for Marcus Marriota, the Titans are 6 and 2. Tannehill completed 71% of his passes in eight starts and has two 872 yards passing yards, with 17 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.
This is going to be a really tough matchup for the Saints. Tennessee is +6 in the takeaway giveaway ratio. So that tells me they’re good at protecting the football and forcing turnovers on defense.
When I started studying for this game, I could name three Titans players and one (Derrick Henry) was because I had him on my fantasy team. Obviously we all know about Tannehill. Then there is a former Saints first round pick that plays for Tennessee. You remember safety Kenny Vaccaro? He's having a pretty good year.
Here’s where I believe this game turns. The Titans have given up 51 QB sacks. The Saints defense has 44 QB takedowns this season. Likewise, the Titans aren't very good at getting after opposing signal callers, with just 36 sacks for the season. The Saints have allowed 21 sacks this season. I know the Black & Gold are working through some injuries on the offensive line, but it's the quick trigger of QB Drew Brees that’s the difference maker.
If the Titans cannot get after Brees and force him to throw earlier than he wants, it's going to be a long day for a Titans secondary, that will give up big plays. If the Saints stop RB Derrick Henry and the Titans physical rushing attack, it will go a long way in earning their 12th win of the season.
Prediction: Saints 28 - Titans 24
