New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans: Full Week 15 Preview for Tennessee
In what will unfortunately be a showcase of two of the league's worst teams, the Tennessee Titans prepare to host their second New York visitor in a row, as the Jets hit Nashville on Sunday.
Both squads are 2-11 and have had problems on offense. The Jets are dead last in passing yards, while the Titans are the worst team on third down.
Both teams are potentially looking for new quarterbacks in the draft as well, and though no team tanks on purpose, whichever of the two teams loses this game will have a much better shot at the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
Here's a preview of the matchup between the two squads.
Week 14 Recap
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The New York Giants came to Nashville and embarrassed the Titans. Not only did they completely stifle the Titans offense, but they also injured Zach Mettenberger, putting him out for the rest of the season, and ended the day with eight sacks.
The only points Tennessee saw were from a pick-six by rookie Marqueston Huff.
Other than that, the Giants had their way with the Titans on both sides of the ball. Andre Williams rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Odell Beckham Jr. picked up 130 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The Titans offensive line surrendered a franchise-high eight sacks, along with 10 tackles for loss. The defense, on the other hand, failed to sack Eli Manning even once.
Even the field-goal unit failed, as the only attempted kick by Ryan Succop missed the mark. In the end, the Giants trounced the Titans 36-7.
News and Notes
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Sammie Hill's Legal Troubles
Sammie Hill has been accused of sexual assault, though his lawyer claims that the allegations are "bogus," per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. There's been no word by the Tennessee Titans yet of any suspension or other disciplinary action.
It seems like the Titans are taking the wait-and-see approach. Given the NFL's recent public relations issues, I'd expect to see the NFL and the Titans organization to take a hard stance on Hill if any allegations are proved.
Looking Forward to the Draft
The Titans are projected to nab the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, per Jimmy Morris of Music City Miracles, behind only the Buccaneers.
Realistically, the Titans need the Buccaneers to win a third game in order to land the first overall pick. As of right now, the most coveted quarterback in the draft class is Oregon signal-caller Marcus Mariota. With the Bucs also in the market for a quarterback, the Titans would be unlikely to secure Mariota at No. 2, at least as things stand right now.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Michael Griffin | DB | Questionable |
| Zach Mettenberger | QB | Doubtful |
| Blidi Wreh-Wilson | DB | Injured Reserve |
| Kendall Wright | WR | Questionable |
Michael Griffin has had injuries on and off all season. He's been a weak link in the defense, but with Bernard Pollard already out, the Titans are thin at safety, so Griffin's absence could be damaging.
Mettenberger is possibly out for the season after re-injuring his right shoulder in the game against the Giants. No one expects him to play, and he did not participate in practice Thursday.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson is officially done for the season, as the Titans placed him on injured reserve. He was injured early on against the Giants and never returned to the field. He's had his ups and downs this season as well, but he's one of the better corners on the roster.
The team sorely missed Kendall Wright against the Giants. With both he and Justin Hunter missing, the offense struggled worse than it had all season. Wright was limited in practice on Thursday, but you shouldn't expect a receiver with an injured hand to be on the field any time soon.
All injury information taken from ESPN's injury page for the Tennessee Titans.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Chris Johnson vs. Titans Defensive Line
The former Titan Chris Johnson has had an unimpressive season with New York so far, just rushing for 588 yards and one touchdown, but expect him to bring his A-game against his former team.
Tennessee also features the league's worst run defense, so the Jets are going to want to give the ball to Johnson and Chris Ivory early and often. Geno Smith is one of the league's lesser quarterbacks, so for the Titans, it's all about stopping the run.
Muhammad Wilkerson vs. Titans Offensive Line
The Titans offensive line has been a sieve lately. With third-string tackles and second-string everything else, the line has been unable to stop much of anything.
The Jets happen to have one of the league's most dangerous defensive ends in Wilkerson, who's going to look to have a field day at Jake Locker's expense, if he plays. If the Titans don't want another quarterback on injured reserve, they better be ready to bring in extra blockers.
X-Factor: Bishop Sankey
With Justin Hunter still gone, Kendall Wright unlikely to play and the offensive line playing horribly, the only chance that the Titans have of igniting the offense is to run the ball.
Sankey will see a lot of carries against the Jets. If he can make something of them, he may keep the Titans offense afloat. If not, they'll flounder once again.
Prediction
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As bad as the Jets have been this season, they've at least been competitive, which is more than can be said for the Titans.
The Titans have lost their last five matchups and have only lost one game by less than two possessions. The Jets, on the other hand, have won one of their last five, with two of the others ending as narrow, one-possession losses.
They also don't match up well for the Titans. The Jets feature the second-best rushing attack in the NFL and the fifth-best rushing defense. With few receiving options and a porous offensive line, the Titans will be forced to run against one of the better run defenses.
On defense, the Titans will have to try to find a way to suddenly stop the run, which they've been unable to do in their first 13 attempts.
In the end, the Jets' ability to run the ball will just make them too much for the Titans to handle. Add in the revenge factor for Chris Johnson, a stout run defense and Muhammad Wilkerson going hard after Jake Locker, and it doesn't look good for Tennessee.
Prediction: Jets 24, Titans 10
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