The Black Hole will be rowdy Sunday, as the 7-5 Tennessee Titans take on the 6-6 Oakland Raiders.
This will be short and sweet to avoid any further rambling I’m prone to doing whenever I write these previews.
It’s pretty simple, if the Titans win, they set their selves up with another division clash next weekend against the Texans.
If the Raiders win, they keep their head afloat in the AFC wildcard race.
See? Simple.
Now on to the important matters at hand.
1. First Thing’s First, Just Give Derrick Henry The Ball
I’ve officially run out of good things to say about Derrick Henry’s play so far. He’s gone from a big back who struggled to take advantage of his body, to a bruising bulldozer that’s catapulted into stardom.
He isn’t getting the same amount of love as Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, and others. But he’s so close to doing so, that if he wanted to, I believe he could taste it.
Weird? Sorry, but seriously, he’s been an absolute monster.
Here’s a stat for you.
.@Titans RB @KingHenry_2 leads the @NFL with 496 rushing yards since Week 10 & has had 150+ scrimmage yards & a rushing TD in three straight games.
On Sunday, Henry could become the 5th player in @NFL history to reach those marks in four consecutive games. #NFL100 #TENvsOAK pic.twitter.com/Gpioy9E7AG
— NFL345 (@NFL345) December 6, 2019
He’ll get to attempt an induction into such prestigious company, against a Raiders run defense that’s allowing over 115 YPG on the ground in their last 3 games.
2.The Titans’ Secondary Has Chance For Bounceback Game
I’ll put it nicely, the Titans’ secondary lately has been poor.
But lucky for them, they’ll get a chance to reverse the track they’ve been on, and get back into the right mindset for the stretch run.
The Raiders employ a run first mentality on offense, while relying on play action for chunk plays down the field.
More on the Raiders’ run game later.
When you run this type of offense, you have to have somee sort of suitable wide receiver play in order to maximize the chances you get on play action.
However, outside of Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller, the Raiders just don’t have any word pass catchers that will give your defensive coordinator nightmares.
Can this type of offense work without scary pass catching talent? Of course it can, but would it be somewhat more respectable if you had more than 1 above average option in your passing game? 100 times yes.
Since the Raiders don’t have more than 1 receiver that will make me pay more attention, I’ll give the Titans’ secondary a good chance at finding a way to shut down the Raiders’ passing attack.
3. Speaking of Dominant Run Games, How About Josh Jacobs?
Josh Jacobs has been the star on offense for the Raiders this season.
Which might be a surprise considering who the Raiders have on the offensive side of the ball. Derek Carr? No sir. Tyrell Williams? Think again.
This offense runs through Jacobs and relies on his powerful running style, plus his versatility as a receiver, to get them up and down the field.
Jon Gruden wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jacobs is questionable to play this weekend with a shoulder injury. It isn’t some meager injury either, as Jacobs has said he’s been playing on a fractured shoulder since week 7.
I think he plays, but we shall see.
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