Tennessee Titans-Buffalo Bills: Striking While the Iron's Hot

Lookout, Tennessee Titan fans. Things actually seem to be going in the team's favor as they prepare to take the field against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.

Hmmm. This is a game that they should win.

The last time that was the prevailing sentiment, well, you know, they reeled off six straight losses. But as long as the Titans keep playing the same brand of football that they've been playing the past few weeks, things should take care of themselves.

Come to think of it, the Bills are, in fact, not unlike the Titans. Like Tennessee, they should be better than they actually are this season. However, the former continue their tailspin as the latter are getting hot.

For starters, there's the anemic Buffalo offense, which figures to play well into the hands of a Tennessee defense that has begun to regain its swagger. Even if star wideout Terrell Owens plays, he has proven to pretty much be a non-factor this year.

Then again, teams that have looked like pretenders on paper, have found ways to methodically pick the Titans apart at various times this year.

For instance, for all that's been said, it wouldn't be surprising to see wide receiver Lee Evans or Terrell Owens have his breakout day against the Titans, given Tennessee's snake-bitten status in 2009.

But if the defense plays smart and can recover from the mistakes that they'll inevitably make, things should fall into the hands of Buffalo's defense.

Unfortunately for the Bills, that could be a big problem. Buffalo currently has a run defense that ranks dead last in the NFL.

The Titans? Yep, they sport the league's leading rusher in Chris Johnson, who, incidentally, is playing the best football of his short career.

Buffalo is only marginally better in the pass defense department, where they rank 15th. But as long as Vince Young maintains his pedestrian, yet newly mistake-free, way of playing, things should fall into place for Tennessee.

In all honesty, both teams are probably equal at this point, in spite of all the aforementioned statistical probabilities in favor of the Titans.

Remember, the New England Patriots that demolished the Titans were taken to the wire by these same Bills, who, this week, anyway, look to be the underdogs.

Any given Sunday, indeed.

Bottom line: The team that makes fewer mistakes will win. Neither is good enough to overcome a lack of execution by compensating in other areas on the field.

Considering their recent respective paths, one has to like Tennessee in this one. They're healthier and more confident, both of which can go a long way.

However, as evidenced by these two teams' rich history of dramatic matchups, all of that can change with one play.

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