Panthers vs. Titans: Full Game Preview for Tennessee
There is a new kind of buzz surrounding the Tennessee Titans after Marcus Mariota led them to just their second win of the season last week. To make the victory even sweeter, it came in overtime against a New Orleans Saints team that was heavily favored.
They'll need to play their best football of the season once again if they're going to make it two wins in a row as the undefeated Carolina Panthers roll into Nissan Stadium. It will be the second-straight week that the Titans will face a team from the NFC South.
The Titans haven't played at home since they dropped a close game to the Atlanta Falcons. Zach Mettenberger started that game, and it's conceivable to think that the Titans could've won with Mariota under center.
There is hope surrounding a Titan's defense that is playing well, and Mariota gives the offense a puncher's chance to put up some points. However, the Panthers' physical style of play will be much tougher than what the Titans faced the previous week against the Saints.
Week 9 Results and Recap
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Last week was a roller coaster ride against the Saints, and it was the type of game that the Titans have become accustomed to losing. They persevered in a big way to pull out a win in interim head coach Mike Mularkey's first game.
The offense threw plenty of counter punches at the Saints offense to stay in the game, and threw the knockout punch in overtime to pull off the upset.
It was Mariota's most successful game since his Week 1 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He shook off some early rust, and proved that this team is much better with him under center. He further validated his No. 2 overall selection in the draft.
Antonio Andrews got plenty of opportunities in the run game, and made the most of those opportunities. Expect the Titans to keep riding him to take some pressure of Mariota.
The game plan of relying on Andrews really helped the offense break out of its funk, according to Jason Wolf of the Tennessean:
"#Titans' reliance on running game, undrafted #WKU star Antonio Andrews pays off: https://t.co/BevJlCYPmA via @Tennessean @Salute2Dat5ive
— Jason Wolf (@JasonWolf) November 11, 2015"
We also saw an emergence of Dorial Green-Beckham. He played a key role down the stretch, and finished with a game-high ten targets. Mariota wants to keep getting him involved, via the Titans official Twitter page:
"Marcus Mariota on @realdgb's day: "He's a physical specimen. We need to find ways to get that guy the ball."
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 8, 2015"
The defense did a great job of bending, but not always breaking. They made keys stops at times when they needed it most, and put solid pressure on Drew Brees toward the end of the game. Holding that offense to 28 points is nothing to be ashamed of if you're the Titans defense.
The AFC South standings got a little more interesting after the Titans win, but the Colts still remain 1.5 games up for the division lead. The Titans still don't have a win against an AFC opponent.
News and Notes
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Titans Name a New Captain
It's been a successful 2015 campaign for Dexter McCluster. He's played his role well as a change-of-pace back that also contributed on special teams.
McCluster replaced Taylor Lewan as one of the team's captains, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:
"Titans' Mularkey strips Lewan of captaincy, adds McCluster https://t.co/rch8FKnBaJ #Titans
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 11, 2015"
New head coaches always bring along their own changes. There's not much you should take from this change, other than McCluster being the logical choice with veteran experience.
This could end up positively motivating Lewan to step up his game and lead an offensive line that still has a lot of questions, despite having a good outing versus the Saints.
Charlie Whitehurst Released
With all of the protection concerns the Titans have had this season, it's surprising to see the Titans decide to go with just two quarterbacks.
The Titans had to make a roster move to find room for David Cobb at running back, and Whitehurst was the guy that had to go as the third-string quarterback. Whitehurst certainly served his purpose while being in Tennessee. This also makes Zach Mettenberger more valuable as a backup quarterback for the Titans going into next season.
Whitehurst did some good things as the backup quarterback and mentor to the younger quarterbacks. In the end, you have to make more room for a rookie running back that may be another dynamic piece to the offense.
In an emergency situation, wide receiver Harry Douglas would have to play quarterback this week against the Panthers, via Jason Wolf of the Tennessean:
"Mularkey: #Titans WRs Harry Douglas or Kendall Wright now 3rd "emergency" QB, since Charlie Whitehurst released.
— Jason Wolf (@JasonWolf) November 11, 2015"
Let's hope it doesn't come to that, and that the Titans have learned from their pass protection woes that plagued them just two weeks ago.
Injury Update
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| Player | Position | Injury |
| Jason McCourty | CB | Groin |
| Perrish Cox | CB | Hamstring |
| Dexter McCluster | RB | Ankle |
| Kendall Wright | WR | Knee |
| Blidi Wreh-Wilson | CB | Hamstring |
The Titans are still really hurting at cornerback. They were able to battle through it against the Saints, but they desperately need to return to full strength.
It's unclear when McCourty could see the field against thanks to his nagging groin injury. He's looking for a second opinion on the injury, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com:
"Jason McCourty is getting second opinion on groin injury today, Mularkey said
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) November 11, 2015"
There is a decent chance that Wreh-Wilson returns against the Panthers. He was able to practice on Wednesday, via John Glennon of the Tennessean:
"Not participating in open portion of Titans practice: Wright, McCourty, McCluster. Returning: Wreh-Wilson.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) November 11, 2015"
At least there's some hope that this unit is growing, and B.W. Webb was a nice surprise in his first game after being called up from the practice squad.
McCluster is dealing with an ankle injury and may see his touches diminished with rookie David Cobb being activated from the short-term injured reserve list. Cobb could really complicate the Titans backfield if he makes an early impact.
The absence of McCluster would change what this offense is able to do as he plays a versatile role as a runner, receiver and kick returner.
It's difficult to see Wright being able to return this quickly from a knee injury suffered less than two weeks ago.
Injury report via TitansOnline.com
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Matchup X-Factors
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Titans Receivers vs. Panthers Secondary
With Mariota back under center, it's time for this Titans receiving corps to start shining. They have a stiff test against the Panthers secondary, led by Josh Norman.
The Panthers are too physical to for the Titans to completely overtake them on the ground with Antonio Andrews. They're going to need to have some success through the air by spreading the ball around. This was the same formula that helped beat the Saints down the stretch. Mariota did a great job at finding several different receivers, and it made the offense unpredictable.
This means continuing to get Green-Beckham involved, and finding creative ways to use all of the tight ends they have. They have to keep the Panthers guessing, and not key in on just one or two receivers to carry them.
This won't be an easy area to win, as the Panthers have made some very good quarterbacks look ordinary this season. They did so to the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers last week until he made a ferocious comeback that nearly won the game.
Panthers Rushing Attack vs. Titans Defensive Front
The Panthers mainly make their hay on offense by running the ball with Jonathan Stewart, and finding ways to run the powerful Cam Newton. These two are a terror for defenses to stop, even if you know they're coming.
It will be a completely different type of quarterback to prepare for than the likes of Drew Brees the previous week. Newton can certainly make plays with his arm, but stopping him from running over you will be the biggest test for a chippy defensive line of the Titans.
Stewart is currently listed as questionable for this game, via ESPN.com.
If Stewart is unable to go, then it could even this game out. Tennessee's chances of shutting down the run game, and forcing the Panthers to throw the ball more frequently, will be important.
Titans X-Factors
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X-Factor of the Week: Marcus Mariota
There is just no denying who the X-factor for this Titans team is, and it's Marcus Mariota. That was made clear when we saw how inept this offense is without him.
When Mariota gets time to make smart decisions, he allows Tennessee to hang with teams that may be much better than them in the standings. That is valid when looking at this matchup with the Panthers. If he plays well, then you should fully expect this game to go down to the wire.
Mariota needs a similar performance that he had against the Saints to give his team a chance at its first winning streak of the season. However, the Panthers will be much more difficult to have success on than a Saints defense that's statistically one of the worst in the NFL.
If the Titans upset an NFC South opponent for the second week in a row, it will be because of another performance worthy of AFC Player of the Week honors.
Underrated X-Factor: Wesley Woodyard
Woodyard is quietly having a solid year for the Titans at linebacker. He's second on the team in tackles, and is also regularly applying pressure on the quarterback. He'll need to be sharp at keeping Cam Newton from running all over the field for first downs.
The formula is fairly simple to understand on stopping the Panthers offense. Stop Newton, Stewart and Mike Tolbert from gaining big chunks of yardage on early downs. That is much easier said than done, but Woodyard will play a big role in winning this battle.
Prediction: Panthers 17, Titans 14
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This prediction is a true testament to how legitimate the Panthers are in the NFC. They've earned the right to be respected as a Super Bowl contender, and the Titans are still trying to figure things out under a new regime.
What we saw from the Titans against the Saints will spill over into this game and help them hang around into the fourth quarter. This won't be a blowout for either team. It could very well end up being another sloppy game with a few turnovers on each side that will ultimately affect the final result.
Mariota will lead some long drives to keep this game interesting. He'll once again spread the ball around evenly, and lean heavily on his tight ends.
The Titans will have a hard time finding running room. They should still try to establish one, but finding some early success through the air is going to be critical to loosen up an aggressive Panthers defense.
This game could end up being very similar to how the Bills game went. We will find out if the Titans have learned anything from those types of games. They've proven that they can certainly win games against bad defenses.
It will be an inspired effort by the Titans, but they'll come up short thanks to some late heroics by Cam Newton and his ability to both run and throw. He will have his fingerprints all over the box score, and do just enough to keep the Titans winless at home.
Prediction: Panthers 17, Titans 14
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