7:15 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Bills -10, Over/Under: 47.5
Familiar foes battle once again under the bright lights of primetime, as the Tennessee Titans look to bounce back after a late loss, while the surging Buffalo Bills are looking for revenge in this Monday Night Football matchup from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. There is a sense of uneasiness coming out of Nashville, where the Titans (0-1, T-3rd in AFC South) find themselves on the verge of what very well may be a transitional period. After three consecutive playoff appearances and back-to-back division titles, Tennessee entered 2022 with more questions than answers. Would (2019 and 2020 Rushing Champion) Derrick Henry regain his form after missing the final nine regular season games of last season with a broken bone in his foot? Would (Pro-Bowl Quarterback) Ryan Tannehill stave off his downward trajectory after the club drafted his eventual replacement? How would the Offense manage without (leading Receiver) A.J. Brown, whom they traded away during the Draft? After taking a major leap in 2021, would the Defense continue to improve? Indeed, that’s quite a bit for (Head Coach) Mike Vrabel to answer, particularly within a traditionally weak division that saw both the Colts and Jaguars improve in the offseason. All things considered, this could be the last run for both Henry and Tannehill in Music City, for while wearing the distinction of being the two most expensive players on the roster, the tandem can be released in the offseason with reasonably sufferable penalties to the salary cap; Henry, who will be 29-years old come January, would cost the franchise just $3 million in dead money if he were to be released, while Tannehill would be more costly ($18.8 million), though they didn’t necessarily pick (Rookie Quarterback) Malik Willis in the third round to sit for too long. So, with that in mind, how did the Titans kick off this pivotal campaign, you ask? Well, if their narrow 21-20 loss at home to the New York Giants was any indication, then these next few months could become rather uncomfortable quickly.

After capitalizing on a 46-yard punt return and taking their opening drive of the afternoon forty-five yards to the end zone, the Titans stalled far too frequently for Vrabel’s liking, punting on four of their next six drives and settling for a pair of field goals on the other two. Out of halftime, the Giants logged back-to-back touchdowns to tie the score at 13-13 midway through the third quarter, before (Backup Tailback) Dontrelle Hilliard reeled in his second score from Tannehill to reestablish the lead. The hosts thought that they had sealed the victory after picking off (Quarterback) Daniel Jones in the end zone, but they ended up punting the football back to Big Blue after just five plays, with New York marching seventy-three yards downfield to paydirt. And this is where things got REALLY interesting, folks, for rather than kick the extra point, they opted to take the lead with a two-point conversion, which would be successful. Now trailing by one point with 1:06 minutes left to play, Tannehill piloted his team down to their opponent’s 29-yard line, where (Kicker) Randy Bullock would attempt a 47-yard game-winner, only for his try to sail wide of the mark. In the end, the Titans amassed 359 total yards on nineteen first downs, with Henry rushing for eighty-two yards on twenty-one carries and a fumble, while Tannehill completed 20-of-33 passes for 266 yards, a pair of touchdowns and no turnovers. (Rookie Receiver) Treylon Burks hauled in three receptions for fifty-five yards in his debut with the club, while (Tight End) Austin Hooper had just one catch for six yards. Defensively, Vrabel’s charges totaled five sacks, two of which came courtesy of (Defensive Tackle) Jeffery Simmons, while (Sophomore Edge) Rashad Weaver notched his first two career sacks after missing all but three games of his rookie campaign with a broken leg. The difference in the game though was on the ground, where the Giants dominated with 238 yards on thirty-two carries, outgaining the Henry-led hosts by a sizeable 145 yards. This of course, sets up a crucial encounter with the rested Bills, though Tennessee has proven to be more than a persistent foil to them in recent years; this is the fifth consecutive season in which these franchises have met, with each of their last two meetings coming in primetime, both which were Titans victories. Henry in particular has enjoyed these affairs, rushing for 200 yards and FIVE touchdowns in the last two matchups (along with the most VIRAL stiff arm in the history of the sport), including 143 yards and three scores on Monday Night Football last October. And speaking of that 34-31 contest, it took a herculean defensive stand in the waning minutes to seal the win, as the aforementioned Simmons stopped (Quarterback) Josh Allen (much more on him shortly) on a fourth and one at the 3-yard line with twenty-one seconds left to play. The reigning AFC South champions did not emerge from last weekend’s defeat unscathed from an injury standpoint, with the likes of (Cornerback) Kristian Fulton, (Guard) Jamarco Jones, and the aforementioned Hilliard pronounced out of action, joining (Pro-Bowl Edge) Harold Landry, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Furthermore, (Pro-Bowl Left Tackle) Taylor Lewan was limited throughout the week with an ailing knee. The Titans are 6-4 against the spread in their last ten games as an underdog, and 6-3 against the spread in their last ten dates with the Bills, whom they have covered against in each of their last four trips to Orchard Park.
Meanwhile, after entering this season as the betting favorite to win Super Bowl LVII, the Bills (1-0, 1st in AFC East) have done nothing to convince the public of being unworthy of that distinction, hammering the reigning Lombardi holders in the season opener eleven days ago. Indeed, after coming up short for the second consecutive postseason, Buffalo set out to address their few remaining weaknesses, particularly their defensive front which was certainly a point of emphasis for (Head Coach) Sean McDermott and (General Manager) Brandon Beane. Granted, how much better could a unit that ranked first in the NFL in both points allowed (17.0) and total defense (272.8) get, you ask? Well, as we’ve stated on a number of occasions in the past, Buffalo really feasted on some of the weakest offensive sides in the league last year, yielding an average of 12.1 points and a paltry 189.6 total yards to the likes of the Jets, Texans, and Patriots, each of whom they played twice apiece. Better Offenses got the better of them, none more so than the Chiefs, who utterly eviscerated them in a 42-36 overtime shootout in the playoffs, in which the two-time AFC East champions were torched for 552 total yards. Sure, losing (Pro-Bowl Cornerback) Tre’Davious White to a torn ACL in November was a huge loss, but that showing at Arrowhead proved that there was still plenty of room for improvement in Orchard Park. So, what did McDermott and Beane do, you ask? The club added (Defensive Tackles) Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones, and Tim Settle in free agency to beef up the interior of the defensive line, while (veteran Edge) Von Miller was signed to a mammoth six-year, $120 million contract. Though the 33-year-old has been slowed at times due to injury in recent years, he’s proven to be as lethal as ever when putting heat on opposing Quarterbacks, logging five sacks in eight regular season games with the Rams following a midseason trade from the Broncos, and another four during Los Angeles run to Super Bowl glory. The eight-time Pro-Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion has recorded 117.5 sacks over the course of his illustrious career, the most of any active player and twenty-second all-time. Against his former teammates, Miller showed out in his return to SoFi Stadium, racking up three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks in a commanding 31-10 victory.

As a whole, the Defense was excellent in this star-studded affair, relegating the Rams to just 243 total yards on nineteen first downs, including fifty-two rushing yards on eighteen carries, while (Quarterback) Matthew Stafford was picked off three times and sacked on SEVEN occasions. (Defensive Linemen) A.J. Epenesa, Gergory Rousseau, and the aforementioned Phillips each had at least one sack of Stafford, with the group as a whole totaling SIXTEEN pressures in the game. Fortunately, their own Offense had no such problems, even if they did give the football away more than McDermott would have preferred. Despite committing four turnovers, the Bills nonetheless amassed 413 total yards on twenty-three first downs, rushing for 121 yards on twenty-five carries, while (Pro-Bowl Quarterback) Josh Allen put on a show with 297 passing yards and three touchdowns on an efficient 26-of-31 passing, while rushing for another fifty-six yards and a score on ten carries. With that performance, the 26-year-old became the first player since 1950 to post three games with over 250 passing yards and at least three touchdowns, along with another rushing yards and a score. There were some early concerns as to how the Offense would handle the transition from (former Offensive Coordinator) Brian Daboll to his successor, Ken Dorsey, but with one game in the books it appears that it was all much ado about nothing. After spending the last three seasons as the team’s Quarterback Coach, Dorsey’s rapport with Allen appears only stronger now that he is calling plays; Allen spread the wealth to seven different targets, chief among them (Pro-Bowl Receiver) Stefon Diggs, who hauled in eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown, while (fellow Wideout) Gabriel Davis wasn’t far behind with eighty-eight yards and a score on four catches of his own. Indeed, this unit was in a rhythm throughout the contest, converting a franchise record 9-of-10 third downs opportunities, and failed to punt for the third time in their last four games dating back to last January. That victory was McDermott’s fiftieth with the Bills, joining Marv Levy (112) and Lou Saban (68) as the only Head Coaches in franchise history to reach that threshold. Coming out of that victory, Buffalo did sustain a number of injuries, with (Defensive Tackle) Ed Oliver pronounced out of action with a sprained ankle, while the aforementioned Settle is questionable with a tender hamstring. Furthermore, the Secondary could be rather thin with (Cornerback) Dane Jackson (who is White’s replacement) was limited throughout the practice week an ailing knee, while Davis is also listed as questionable due to a sore ankle. Since McDermott arrived back in 2017, the Bills are 7-5 in primetime contests, including 6-3 over the last two years. In the seventeen years prior to his arrival, the team was a dreadful 5-17 in such games, including winless in six Monday Night affairs. Buffalo is 7-3 straight up and 6-3 against the spread in their last ten home games, with identical records in their last ten outings as a favorite. However, they haven’t covered the spread in any of their last five games in which they’ve been favored against the Titans, though this will be the first contested in Orchard Park since 2018.