Tennessee vs. Washington: Complete Week 7 Preview for Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans are coming off of a win, but they can't let themselves get too comfortable. After all, the Jacksonville Jaguars nearly pulled off a miracle comeback, and they might be the NFL's worst team.
Plus, the Titans were playing at home against the Jaguars, but now they won't have home-field advantage to lean on.
Kirk Cousins has been doing an admirable job playing for injured quarterback Robert Griffin III, and DeSean Jackson is coming off a great game. So even though Washington isn't the best team out there, it isn't a pushover.
Here's a complete preview of the matchup between Tennessee and Washington.
Week 6 Recap
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The Titans defense looked the best it's looked since Week 1 in a narrow win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The offense, led by backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was stagnant but avoided shooting itself in the foot with turnovers and scored enough to pull out the win.
Both teams effectively took away the ground game in the first half, but the Titans managed to get Bishop Sankey going in the second half and scored their only touchdown in the game via a one-yard run by Jackie Battle.
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had a career day, throwing for 336 yards and a touchdown while also leading his team in rushing. Had he been protected at all, he might have picked the Titans apart, but the Titans managed to sack the rookie six times.
Of course, the most memorable part of the game was the Jaguars coming back from 16-7 with 0:38 left to play and almost winning the game. Michael Griffin fumbled the onside kick, and Jacksonville recovered and made it to field-goal range.
Sammie Hill managed to block the kick, which, had it been made, would have won the game for the Jaguars 17-16. Luckily for the Titans, Hill's height came through again.
News and Notes
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Jurrell Casey doesn't get the credit he deserves. In 2013, he posted a ridiculous 10 sacks from the defensive tackle position, leading the league in sacks from interior linemen.
To make that stat more impressive, the Titans were rarely playing ahead in their 7-9 season, so they didn't have an opportunity to rush the passer as often as they could have if they were a better team.
Even so, Casey didn't make the Pro Bowl. But you won't convince me that there is more than one—maybe two—interior lineman in the league who is better. In Week 6, Casey got some recognition, being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, as The Tennessean's John Glennon notes.
As bad as the Titans' third-down offense is (worst in the league), Washington's is almost as bad, only converting on third down 5 percent more often than Tennessee, as noted by Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. That makes them second worst in the league.
The Titans have gotten into trouble in past games by falling behind early and not being able to utilize their pass rush. Since Washington doesn't feature a great third-down offense, if the Titans can stuff runs on first and second down like they did against Jacksonville, then they can avoid getting into a hole early on.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Shonn Greene | RB | Doubtful |
| Jake Locker | QB | Questionable |
| Craig Stevens | TE | Out |
| Taylor Thompson | TE | Questionable |
The biggest injury concern is obviously quarterback Jake Locker. Locker returned to practice on Wednesday, but as of Thursday, he was still limited in practice. He'll be the difference-maker among the injuries, but he's not the only significant one.
Shonn Greene was inactive against Jacksonville, and while Bishop Sankey is the better back, having Greene as a power back makes the Titans a lot more versatile than they are without him.
Normally, Craig Stevens wouldn't be a huge loss, but with Taylor Thompson also listed as questionable (he's been inactive for several games) and Delanie Walker shrugging off injuries the last few weeks, it's a concern for tight end depth.
Neither Coty Sensabaugh nor Blidi Wreh-Wilson is listed on the injury report currently. But Sensabaugh was designated as day-to-day earlier in the week, and both have missed games recently.
With DeSean Jackson expected to test the Titans, they'll need a healthy set of defensive backs.
*All injury information taken from ESPN's injury-report page for the Titans.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Tennessee Defensive Line vs. Washington Offensive Line
One of the biggest reasons why the Titans came away with a win against the Jaguars was because the defensive line won in the trenches.
As a unit, it was responsible for three sacks and five tackles for loss, not to mention lots of pressures against Blake Bortles. If the line can pester Kirk Cousins and stuff the run in the backfield the same way, then it'll go a long way toward a win.
Jason McCourty vs. DeSean Jackson
In my mind, this will be the matchup that determines the game. Jason McCourty has been having a terrible season since he left the game early with a groin injury in Week 2.
Against the Jaguars, McCourty looked solid. It may be because the Jaguars are such a bad team, but it might be a sign of McCourty returning to form. If he can limit DeSean Jackson long enough for the defensive line to collapse the pocket, things will be a lot harder for Cousins.
If Jackson wins the matchups consistently, then Washington will have a quick pass option—something the Titans have been unable to stop all season.
Week 7 X-Factor: Justin Hunter
The Titans get big plays out of Justin Hunter pretty much every game, but they've been unable to utilize him consistently so far. Against the Jaguars, Hunter only had three catches, but he led the team in receiving yards with 77.
If the Titans can continue to make Hunter a big part of the offense, then he'll undoubtedly reward them.
Prediction
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Tennessee has a better win-loss record than Washington right now, but Washington blew out Jacksonville 41-10 and played competitively against the likes of the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.
The Titans, on the other hand, have lost by more than two possessions in three of their four losses. The other loss was the historic collapse in the loss to the Cleveland Browns. Then the Jaguars, the two teams' only common opponent, nearly beat the Titans at home.
Of course, the Titans with Jake Locker are a whole different team than the Titans with Charlie Whitehurst, so if Locker starts, the Titans' chances are much better.
Of course, I don't expect Locker to start, so I'm not picking the Titans to win this one.
Prediction: Washington 24, Tennessee 17
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