Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints: Full New Orleans Game Preview
The New Orleans Saints will be shooting for their fourth consecutive victory Sunday afternoon, as they take on the Tennessee Titans in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
New Orleans (4-4), which is looking to climb above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season, got off to a woeful 0-3 start this year. The Saints have since made improvements in key areas, however, and they’ve clawed their way out of the cellar in the NFC South.
Last week, coach Sean Payton's club toppled the New York Giants in a wild shootout, 52-49, as Drew Brees outdueled Eli Manning in front of a raucous Superdome crowd.
Meanwhile, Tennessee comes into this one in a much different predicament. The 1-6 Titans hit rock bottom last week with a 20-6 loss to the Houston Texans, and they’ve since shown the door to former coach Ken Whisenhunt.
Tight ends coach Mike Mularkey, who has two separate stints as an NFL head coach on his resume, will replace Whisenhunt on the sidelines Sunday as interim coach. Mularkey’s Titans will not only be facing a red-hot Saints squad that boasts the NFL’s second-ranked offense, but they'll have to do so in one of the league’s most hostile environments.
Continue reading for a preview of this Week 9 matchup, which kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
Week 8 Recap
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New Orleans entered last week’s contest looking to run its record to an even 4-4, and Payton’s squad had to overcome 49 points from Manning and the Giants in order to do it.
The shootout, which produced 101 points and over 1,000 yards of offense, will likely be talked about for some time in New Orleans.
New York got on the board first with a Manning-to-Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown pass, but New Orleans answered with an impressive drive of its own that culminated in a scoring strike from Brees to Willie Snead.
From that point on, the two defenses were on their heels for the majority of the game, as Brees and Manning put on a full-scale passing clinic. By game’s end, the two quarterbacks had accumulated a combined 13 touchdown passes and 855 passing yards.
The Saints led 42-28 at the end of the third quarter, but the Giants then reeled off 21 straight points to take a 49-42 lead with seven minutes to go.
After the Saints tied it back up with the help of a Brees-to-C.J. Spiller scoring pass, they made a huge defensive stand, forcing New York to punt after a three-and-out.
On the return, rookie Marcus Murphy found an opening and scampered 24 yards. Fortunately for the Saints, a facemask penalty on Giants punter Brad Wing gave New Orleans an additional 15 yards.
The penalty allowed newly acquired kicker Kai Forbath a chance at a game-winning field goal, and the former Washington Redskin proceeded to drill a 50-yarder as time expired, giving New Orleans a thrilling 52-49 victory.
The Saints defense, which had shown steady improvement in the weeks leading up the game, certainly endured a trying day, but the group still played a big hand in the win.
New Orleans allowed the Giants just one successful third-down conversion in eight tries. Coordinator Rob Ryan’s defense had been especially stiff on third downs in the Saints’ two previous wins, and the unit was able to come through once again against the Giants.
The unbeaten Carolina Panthers still sit atop the division, but with the win, the Saints moved to within two games of the second-place Atlanta Falcons (6-2) in the NFC South.
News and Notes
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Saints-Titans Series
These two franchises have crossed paths just 13 times, with nine of the meetings taking place when the Titans were known as the Houston Oilers.
New Orleans was victorious in the latest installment of the series, a 22-17 triumph in 2011, but the Titans had taken four straight prior to that.
The first-ever meeting between the Saints and Oilers, a 1971 matchup in the Astrodome, ended in a 13-13 tie.
Tennessee leads the series 7-5-1, and it holds a 5-2 advantage in games played in the Superdome.
Khiry Robinson Out for Season
The New Orleans backfield suffered a major setback in last week’s win over the Colts when running back Khiry Robinson went down with a fractured tibia.
Payton announced Monday that Robinson’s season was over after undergoing surgery on the injury.
A former undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M, the third-year back rushed 56 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. He had seen an increased workload over the past few weeks.
Following Robinson’s injury, the Saints re-signed running back Tim Hightower. The five-year veteran joined the team this offseason and made the original 53-man roster, but he was cut just before the season opener.
Injury Report
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The Saints released their injury report Wednesday on the team’s official site, NewOrleansSaints.com.
New Orleans’ list of injuries is quite long, although that isn’t completely out of the ordinary at this point in the season.
Nine Saints missed practice Wednesday, including starting linebackers Hau’oli Kikaha (ankle) and Dannell Ellerbe (hip). Also out of action were offensive tackle Terron Armstead, wideout Willie Snead (knee) and linebacker Ramon Humber (hamstring).
In addition, wideout Marques Colston, guard Jahri Evans and defensive tackle Kevin Williams were held out Monday. All three absences were unrelated to injuries, however, and the Saints were likely just giving the veteran trio some time to rest.
Another notable absence from the practice field was that of Damian Swann, who suffered his second concussion of the season last Sunday against the Giants.
Veteran linebacker David Hawthorne, who was out last week with a hamstring injury, returned to practice Wednesday and was a full go. Others fully participating in the workout were cornerback Keenan Lewis (hip) and tackle Andrus Peat (knee).
On the Tennessee side, it appears rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota could return to the lineup on Sunday. After missing the last two games with a knee injury, Mariota fully participated in the Titans’ Wednesday practice, according to the team’s official injury report on TitansOnline.com.
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Key Matchups to Watch
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Saints Pass-Rushers vs. Titans Offensive Line
The Tennessee offensive line is coming off an embarrassing showing last week against the Texans. Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger was dropped for seven sacks in the contest, and he was hit an eye-popping 14 times.
While the Saints don’t have a defender the caliber of Houston's J.J. Watt, who tallied nine of those hits, they do have a trio of capable pass-rushers in Cam Jordan, Kasim Edebali and the aforementioned Kikaha. The latter’s availability for Sunday is up in the air at the moment, but the Saints should have the services of both Jordan and Edebali.
On obvious passing downs, New Orleans often utilizes a NASCAR package, placing Jordan, Kikaha and Edebali on the field together, along with tackle Tyeler Davison, on the defensive front.
If Kikaha is unavailable, the package obviously won’t be the same, and Jordan and Edebali will be counted on to take up the slack.
Either way, Tennessee tackle Taylor Lewan, along with the rest of the Titans offensive line, will once again be put to the test Sunday, as New Orleans will look to bring the pressure on whichever quarterback is under center.
If the Saints can generate a pass rush anywhere close to the one Houston was able to manufacture last week, this one could get away from the Titans in a hurry. Tennessee won’t be able to keep pace with the high-octane New Orleans offense if it can’t keep its quarterback standing upright, and that makes this battle one of the game’s most important matchups.
Mark Ingram vs. Tennessee Linebackers
The Saints revved up their running game in a big way in their Week 7 win over the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 183 yards and three touchdowns. With Brees lighting up the scoreboards via the passing game, the New Orleans ground attack slowed down a bit last week, but look for the Saints to get it rolling again in this one.
After inking a four-year deal this offseason, Mark Ingram is having his best year yet in a Saints uniform. The fifth-year back has rushed for 530 yards at an average of 4.5 yards per carry, and he’s reached the end zone five times.
A highly physical, violent runner, Ingram has also played a key role in the short passing game, as he’s hauled in 33 balls for 274 yards.
With Robinson out and the Saints bringing back C.J. Spiller slowly from his knee injury, Ingram’s touches are likely to go up in the coming weeks, starting Sunday against the Titans. The Tennessee linebackers, namely Wesley Woodyard and rookie Avery Williamson, will be tasked with slowing him down, which will be much easier said than done.
Prediction
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Having won three straight and four of their last five, the Saints have every right to be a confident team heading into this week’s contest.
After all, they’re playing in front of their home crowd against a struggling Titans club that doesn’t have much going right for it at the moment.
Such a scenario often serves as the perfect recipe for an upset in the NFL, but don’t expect these Saints to let their guard down Sunday. Payton’s resilient squad has battled through an 0-3 start to even out its record, and now that they have something to play for, the Saints aren’t likely to stumble back below .500 by dropping one of the most winnable games on the schedule.
The Titans may come out and play inspired football for a quarter or two, but the chances of this one going down to the wire are slim, especially with the game being played in the Superdome.
Look for Brees and the offense to come out firing on all cylinders and for the Saints to pull away in the second half with their power running game.
Saints 31, Titans 14
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