5 Bold Predictions for Tennessee Titans' Week 11 Matchup
The current road ahead for the struggling Tennessee Titans seems dark and cold, with no light until they meet the Jacksonville Jaguars again. Yes, it's gotten that bad for Ken Whisenhunt and company.
The Titans have decided to go into full rebuilding mode yet again with Zach Mettenberger as the starting quarterback. He's shown glimpses of hope through two starts, but going against a well-coached Steelers defense on the national stage won't make things any easier.
At this point, the Titans are just looking for positives to take into next season. They need to see enough from Mettenberger to feel comfortable with him as the Week 1 starter in 2015.
There are other things that need to be figured out over the last seven games as well.
Here are five bold predictions for the Titans as they'll hit the Monday Night Football stage at home against the Steelers.
Zach Mettenberger Will Suffer More Growing Pains
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We have to show patience for the young Zach Mettenberger, as he's virtually being thrown into a losing situation. The veteran pieces around him are failing to perform up to par to help make his transition easier.
The two losses in Mettenberger's starts have not primarily been his fault (most notably in his debut against the Houston Texans).
Mettenberger's next opportunity comes against one of the best defensive minds in the NFL, Dick Lebeau. He will throw defensive packages at Mettenberger aimed at confusing the inexperienced quarterback.
It's almost inevitable that Mettenberger will make a few big mistakes in this game. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that he won't make more progress for his rookie season. He has all the tools to be a successful quarterback, but these growing pains are something the Titans want to get out of him during a season that is lost, rather than early on in 2015.
Mettenberger also needs to show some improvement in getting rid of the ball. His strength of being able to stand inside the pocket can sometimes be his biggest weakness, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
A couple Mettenberger turnovers, however, will not keep him from possibly exciting the Titans crowd on Monday Night Football with some amazing throws. He may even end up giving the Titans a tiny chance to win, but this matchup has all the makings for a rough day at the office.
Bishop Sankey Will Keep the Titans Competitive
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Small progressions continue to be made by rookie Bishop Sankey. He's starting to really carry the load in a Titans running game that was supposed to be a three-player committee going into the season.
It's been a season to forget for Shonn Greene, who was being counted on as the lead running back. The Dexter McCluster addition also hasn't panned out, and now he's dealing with an injury heading into the week, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:
"#Titans RB Dexter McCluster injured in Sunday's loss to #Ravens http://t.co/XWplt17rlR
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 10, 2014"
Sankey is averaging just a shade under four yards per carry in an offense that is stuck in neutral. The offensive line hasn't played consistently well all season, and the passing game has no stability (thanks to the quarterback issues).
With that said, Sankey is due for his breakout game. What better way to do it than on a Monday night under the lights of the national stage? The Titans will look to ride him heavily in the early going of this game.
The runs that Sankey made against the Ravens in the previous game were largely positive—due to his field vision, and not so much thanks to his offensive line's blocking.
Sankey also needs to start seeing more targets in the passing game to really maximize his potential. The Titans have to start opening up the playbook for Zach Mettenberger, and Sankey will probably be his best ally moving forward. This is the perfect game for Sankey to take charge and get 20 to 25 touches.
Antonio Brown Will Be the Difference-Maker
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Not sure if the Titans have anyone in the secondary who can contain the electric Antonio Brown. They've been burned in the secondary all year, and Brown is coming off of a putrid performance in an upset loss to the New York Jets.
The Steelers have been up and down all season. As for the Titans, they always seem to play much better than expected when the Steelers come up on the schedule, which has led to two-straight wins in the series.
That modest winning streak probably comes to an end in large part to the Titans' secondary having no answer for Brown. I do expect the Steelers to try to set the tone in the game up front with their rushing attack, but only to stretch the field with Brown and the rest of the receiving corps.
Jason McCourty will get the fun assignment of guarding Brown, leaving Blidi Wreh-Wilson with the responsibility of probably guarding Markus Wheaton or Lance Moore.
Unless the Steelers decide to sleep walk through a game for the second-straight week, I see the Steelers winning this game with Brown adding a huge chunk to his 1,000-yard season.
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Defensive Line Will Get Consistent Pressure on Big Ben
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This is the area where the Titans can even the playing field and possibly have a chance for the upset in the fourth quarter. They have to get consistent pressure on Ben Roethlisberger to keep this game low-scoring.
The Titans aren't beating anybody in shootout fashion this season. They have to win in ugly fashion, and it starts with making Roethlisberger uncomfortable. They can't allow him to pick apart the struggling secondary from start to finish.
The Steelers have allowed 25 sacks this season, tied with the Titans for seventh-worst in the NFL, per ESPN.com.
This charge will obviously be led by Jurrell Casey, who has already called himself out for not playing as well as he should have this season, via Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:
"#Titans DL @Jurrellc has been the team's best defensive player. But he's not happy. Says he's been M.I.A. too much. http://t.co/mPOUL5dTJk
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 6, 2014"
Casey may be wishing he had done more, but he's actually been one of the very few bright spots on the entire team. He gives this defense a chance to make things happen nearly every week. They'll lean on him heavily against the Steelers to make this a low-scoring, gritty affair. Those types of games leave everything on the table, including an improbable Titans victory.
The Titans will notch a few sacks on Roethlisberger and be in the backfield for much of the day. At the very least, it will keep this game interesting for the national audience going into the fourth quarter.
Titans Lose Another Heartbreaker, Keep It Close
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Predicting a Titans loss may no longer be considered bold, but this team keeping the game competitive until the end is still bold in my book.
Players usually deny this, but they'll be playing with some extra fire knowing they're on the national stage. That is my personal belief—and playing against the Steelers will only add to that fire.
The inconsistency shown by the Steelers also leads me to believe that the Titans have a outside chance of pulling of the upset. They have no pressure on them, whereas the Steelers have a ton in the midst of a heated AFC North battle.
The Steelers are clearly the more talented team that should be moderately favored, but a lopsided victory isn't going to happen in this scenario.
The Titans will battle hard in the first half, much like they did against a similar Ravens roster in Week 10. They may even take a lead into halftime and have people questioning if the Steelers are about to suffer another embarrassing loss.
It's not the popular prediction, but Steelers reporter Scott Brown of ESPN.com actually has the Titans winning 27-23, citing his lack of trust in the team sustaining success.
That prediction surprised me. I'm just not buying it—especially not after the Steelers just got upset by a Jets team that is just as bad as the Titans. They'll be looking to bounce back, rather than being caught off guard.
In the end, the Steelers will figure out a way to win this game because they have the more talented roster (and not just at quarterback). They'll lean on their better talent on both sides of the ball and overpower a Titans roster full of inexperience and lack of discipline in the fourth quarter.
The Titans once again come up just short, with the all too familiar phrase of "just a couple plays away from winning" as the common saying on Tuesday morning. I'll go with a final score of 20-13, in favor of the Steelers.
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