4. When Will The Titans’ Pass Rush Wake Up?
The Titans came into 2019 with some weaknesses. They were mostly on the offensive side of the ball, including the offensive line.
But not many weaknesses were seen on defense. The secondary is sound, the LBs are young and boast plenty of talent, I mean what weakness could be seen?
Well, look no further than the pass rush.
Outside of week 1, the Titans’ pass rush has been lackluster. They got after Jacoby Brissett a good bit, but weren’t able to bring him down for sacks.
Last week against Gardner Minshew, the Titans didn’t get any type of consistent pressure at all. Which allowed Minshew to shred a Titans secondary that’s usually up to par.
If the pass rush can’t get to Matt Ryan on Sunday, the speedy Falcons WR core will get plenty chances to run around the field.
5. When Will Corey Davis Break Out Onto The 2019 Scene?
It’s been a disappointing start to the season for 3rd year wideout Corey Davis. Davis led the Titans in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns last year.
With the return of Delanie Walker and the addition of Adam Humphries, Davis’ situation spelled more 1v1s and less double coverage on the outside for him.
But while that might be the case, his numbers just haven’t been up to the standards.
Davis, through 3 games, has only been targeted TWELVE times. That’s an unacceptable number for a talent such as Davis. To make things worse, Davis has only 6 catches and 82 yards on the year.
Now these low numbers are a result of a couple factors. The offensive line hasn’t been able to hold up longer in pass protection, so long developing plays or chunk plays haven’t been in the cards.
Another is the playcalling of 1st year OC Arthur Smith. Smith had a clean 1st game against the Browns, but hasn’t been good since. The Titans have been feeding Derrick Henry, but haven’t been finding ways to feed the ball to Corey Davis. Davis is arguably the best skill player on the team, not finding ways to get him the ball simply won’t do at all.
The third reason is simple. Marcus Mariota hasn’t played too well this year, locking on to reads and missing wide open wideouts down the field.
Davis needs the ball and deserves the ball. If he can’t be incorporated into this offense, then there’s simply no hope for this Titans offense to get going each and every Sunday.
6. Jurrell Casey Has Been Unusually Quiet
Jurrell Casey has been dominating the interior of the defensive line for years. But his play has gone under the radar due to the Titans not being competitive in the regular season.
But this year, Casey has been quiet.
Too quiet.
Casey hasn’t gotten a single sack of TFL(tackle for loss) this season. Plus, Casey hasn’t jumped out on film as he usually does.
Now Casey is coming off of injury and didn’t get to practice in training camp for a good bit. So maybe rust is the reason he hasn’t been his usual disruptive self.
But if he can’t get going, especially against a Falcons OL that’s weak inside, I’d start to worry just a teeny bit.
7, Kevin Byard Returns to Atlanta
Titans ballhawk Kevin Byard played his college ball at MTSU, but has home roots in the Peach State.
Byard graduated high school near Atlanta and has a good amount of family that will be attending the game on Sunday.
But he’ll have his hands full trying to eliminate the big play from a Falcons offense that can get going in a hurry.
Byard will hope for a win on Sunday that might mean just a little bit more than your average road win.
Flip the page for my prediction on the game.