New York Giants vs. Tennessee Titans: Full Week 14 Preview for Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans are through with the toughest part of their schedule and now get to face three relatively weak opponents in a row, starting with the New York Giants.
The Giants have only one more win than the Titans, and they are coming off an embarrassing comeback loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. New York had a 21-0 lead but allowed Jacksonville to score 22 unanswered points and eventually win.
Even with that, they're still going to be favored over the injury-ridden Titans. Zach Mettenberger might play, and a piecemeal offensive line won't have J.J. Watt to deal with again, but things will still be tough for the offense.
Here's a preview of the upcoming matchup.
Week 13 Recap
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The Titans' loss to the Houston Texans was ugly.
The Texans scored the first 24 points before the Titans were able to answer. The game was also devastating from an injury standpoint. Chance Warmack and Zach Mettenberger both had to leave the game early with injuries.
J.J. Watt was dominant. Of course, it was easy for him against a Titans offensive line made up of mostly second and third-string players. Watt had 12 hurries in that game. You read that right. Twelve hurries in one game.
One of the few silver linings is that Mettenberger managed to keep the Titans from three-and-outs. Staying on the field is a problem the offense has faced for nearly the entire season, and even though they didn't score points, the offense at least made strides there.
In the end, the Texans won in a 45-21 rout.
News and Notes
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Titans CEO and President Tommy Smith stated there would be a lot of turnover to the Titans' roster in 2015, per The Tennessean (h/t ESPN's Paul Kuharsky).
That goes without saying. On defense, the Titans are still a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. Getting the personnel to run a 3-4 defense competently will take a lot of free-agent signings or draft picks.
Among the needs are multiple outside linebackers and a true nose tackle. That's saying nothing of the needs among the defensive backs, 3-4 or not.
On offense, the Titans offensive line still hasn't gotten things together, but the Titans have already invested as much as they can into that group, realistically. The big question is whether to go forward with Mettenberger, or use the high draft pick on Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Justin Hunter | WR | Injured Reserve |
| Taylor Lewan | OL | Questionable |
| Zach Mettenberger | QB | Questionable |
| Kendall Wright | WR | Questionable |
The Titans are in kind of a bind with the injuries. Justin Hunter never got it all together as a receiver this season but losing him is a huge blow to receiver depth.
Plus, he was a good downfield blocker and a big target that was hard to cover, so that really hurts.
Exacerbating the problem is Kendall Wright's injury. Wright has a hand fracture and may still play, but you have to think his hands won't be as good. With Hunter out, the Titans will be relying on Wright much more than usual.
Taylor Lewan has shed his boot and may play against the Giants. That would be a tremendous help, as the tackle has had a good start to his career, and the offensive line badly needs some of the starters to return.
Zach Mettenberger is, of course, the big question. The Titans are optimistic about his return, but he almost certainly won't be at 100 percent against the Giants if he does play.
All injury information from ESPN's injury report page for the Titans.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Both Offensive Lines vs. Pass-Rushers
Both the Giants and the Titans are having big offensive line problems. Both teams are likely to try and take advantage of that and pressure the others' quarterback.
The Titans have the better pass rush, but if Lewan doesn't play, they may also have the weaker offensive line. Neither team is particularly good at running the ball, so the line that can keep more pressure off of their quarterback will provide a big help to their offense.
Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Jason McCourty
Jason McCourty has started to play well again after performing pretty poorly most of the season following his injury in Week 2.
Odell Beckham Jr. is just two weeks removed from making one of the greatest catches of all time, and Eli Manning will almost certainly be looking to him a lot in the upcoming game. If McCourty can get the better of him, Manning will have a tougher time getting the ball out quickly.
X-Factor: Kendall Wright
It's not just a question of whether he plays, but of how he plays. Wright is a mere 5'9" tall. He relies on his soft hands and speed to make plays. With a bone fracture in his right hand, it's hard to imagine he'll be as good as usual.
If Wright can give the Titans a reliable go-to option other than Delanie Walker, the offense can stay afloat. If not, then they'll be leaning heavily on the defense for this matchup.
Prediction
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Obviously the health of Mettenberger, Lewan and Wright will be a determining factor in how the Titans stand up to the Giants.
If all three miss the game, or are hindered by injury, it's hard to imagine that the offense will be very effective. Ken Whisenhunt doesn't like to run the ball, and if the passing offense is on the back of an injured quarterback, trying to pass to his injured best playmaker, while being protected by an injured tackle, it won't go well.
Injuries aside, the Giants match up pretty well with the Titans. They feature one of the NFL's lesser rushing attacks, have a porous offensive line and have a mediocre pass rush.
If the Titans can get healthy, homefield advantage could get them that third win. Unfortunately, I don't see all three key players being healthy in just a few days.
Prediction: Giants 27, Titans 24
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