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Giants (1-1) Titans (0-2)
The
Titans scored first in their game with the Philadelphia Eagles last week. They
fell behind, but brought things to a tie in the third quarter. That lasted up
until nine seconds were left in the fourth, as the Eagles scored a touchdown and
ended up with a 24-20 win.
The Giants were coming off an opening season win,
but they lost their edge last week in their game with the Rams. That happened
when quarterback Jaxson Dart sustained a knee injury on the opening drive, and
was unable to return to the game. As the offense stalled, and more injuries hindered
their efforts, the Giants took a 28-20 loss to the Rams. Tennessee
Titans
Things went downhill for the Tennessee
Titans after the 2021 season. They finished up with a 12-5 record, and were the
AFC Division leaders for the second season in a row. They lost their Divisional
playoff game to the Cincinnati Bengals, and since then they have had losing records.
The Titans finished last in their division the past three years, and managed to
win just 3 games in each of the last two. Brian Callahan was a first time head
coach during those two years, and he didn't make it through the last one after
a 1-5 start.
This year the Titans were looking for more experience, and went
with Robert Saleh to be their head coach. Saleh held that position with the NY
Jets from 2021-2023, and part way into the 2024 season, guiding the Jets to 20
wins and 36 losses during his time there. Saleh brought in former Giants head
coach Brian Daboll to run the offense. Tennessee
Titans Offense
Last year the Titans were in rebuild mode, and had the opportunity to select quarterback
Cam Ward as the number one overall pick in the NFL draft. That was one small step,
and they needed much more. The offense was pretty consistent, but not in a good
way. Their passing offense was ranked 30th in the NFL. The rushing offense was
30th, and they were 30th in points scored, averaging 16.7 points a game. Ward
did not have an easy go of it in his rookie season, with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions,
and he completed just under 60 percent of his passes.
Ward showed improvement
towards the end, guiding the team to 2 of their 3 season wins in four games, before
the last one. Ward threw 8 touchdowns and 1 interception during that time. In
their final game, Ward completed 3 passes and ran for a touchdown on the opening
drive, and that was it. Ward injured his right shoulder on that play, and did
not return. Last week the team was very competitive and Ward completed 65 percent
of his passes, averaging 9.2 yards, and had 2 rushing touchdowns.
The receiver
group includes former Giants wide receiver
Wan'Dale Robinson, and tight end Daniel Bellinger. Carnell Tate was the fourth
overall pick of the draft, selected by the Titans. The rookie wide receiver has
been targeted the most in these first two games. Elic Ayomanor has the only receiving
touchdown on the team, and tight end Gunnar Helm have shown Ward they can be counted
on. Each of them have caught 6 of the 7 passes he's thrown their way.
Tony
Pollard has run for over 1000 yards in the last two years he's been with the Titans.
He leads the team with 21 carries for 99 yards. Tyjae Spears is behind him with
10 carries for 53 yards. Pollard was dealing with an ankle issue, and Spears was
listed as questionable due to an ankle injury. There have been only 2 rushing
touchdowns scored by the Titans, both by quarterback Ward. Tennessee
Titans Defense
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons knows how to bring it. He's spent his whole career
with the Titans, and last year was his best. Simmons led the team with 11 sacks,
helping them to finish 12th in the NFL in that category. Simmons currently has
one, as well as defensive end Jacob Martin, who also had a career high 5.5 sacks
last season with Washington. John Franklin-Myers also notched his highest sack
numbers - 7.5, playing last year with Denver, and he has one sack to round out
the teams total of 3 over the past two games.
The Titans hired a defensive
minded head coach, and you can see what Robert Saleh was looking for in making
additions to the team. That includes rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., selected
in the second round of the draft. He's off to a fast start, leading the team in
total tackles with 26. The upfront group wasn't bad last year, and look to be
much stronger now.
In the secondary, Saleh brought in safety Tony Adams, who
played for him with the Jets, and the offensive coordinator may have had some
influence, as former Giants cornerback Cor'Dale Flott was added to an area that
really needed the help. They ranked 29th in the NFL with only 6 interceptions,
and 28th in points allowed, giving up 28.1 a game. Things might be changing with
new management. Amani Hooker has been one of their reliable safeties for eight
years, and second year cornerback Marcus Harris have each come up with one interception. Giants
Offense
All eyes will be on Jameis Winston
to see if he can carry the torch for the Giants for the remainder of the season.
Winston didn't inspire confidence coming off the bench last week once Jaxson Dart
had to leave the game. Dart subsequently has had surgery on his left knee, putting
him out for the season. You have to remember
that Winston was the first overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers. In 2019, his fifth year as a starter, Bruce Arians became the head
coach of the Bucs. Winston was encouraged by the "No risk it, no biscuit"
coach to throw the ball downfield, and he finished the season with 33 touchdowns.
That
was good, but the bad was that Winston also threw 30 interceptions. That started
him on a career path as a backup on other teams for a number of years, and he's
been one for the Giants in the last two. Last
week against the Rams, Winston was 11-of-27
for 111 yards, and he threw one interception. It didn't help that wide receiver
Malik Nabers left the game in the first quarter after sustaining a shoulder injury.
He did return, but finished the game with only one catch on 4 targets for 1 yard.
The week earlier, in his first game back after a season ending ACL injury, playing
against the Cowboys, he was the second leading receiver, with 6 catches for 69
yards.
The Giants were expecting to have a good mix of running and passing
the ball against the Rams, but Dart's sudden absence ruined that, right at the
start. Cam Skattebo was the lead rusher with 12 carries for 36 yards, as the Rams
knew that shutting him down would limit the Giants options using a backup quarterback
substitute. This week the Giants will be relying on the running game to make things
easier for Winston, now that they have had time to prepare him for the starting
role. Injuries can be a concern. Left tackle Andrew Thomas has missed some practice
dealing with a groin issue, but is expected to play. Giants
Defense
Facing two of the top offenses in
these past two games is one of the reasons getting to the quarterback with a good
pass rush has been an issue. This week the defense will see what the Tennessee
Titans have to offer. The run defense looked pretty good in the first game against
the Cowboys, limiting them to just 69 rushing yards, but it fell apart last week,
giving up 164 yards. It would be nice if defensive
tackle Dexter Lawrence was still with the team to help with things like that,
but things couldn't be worked out. Right now in two games, the Giants have come
up with just one sack by Abdul Carter.
Last year Brian Burns led the team
with 16.5 sacks, and so far he has none. Last week Burns had his ankle rolled
up on, has missed practice, and is listed as questionable. If he doesn't play
or is limited, Kayvon Thibodeaux will see more action. With
a step down in the opposition, the defense will be up against, maybe we'll see
more blitzes. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson doesn't like to roll that way,
but the situation might call for it. In the secondary cornerback Deonte Banks
and safety Tyler Nubin are both listed as questionable for this game. Safety Jevon
Holland will be out there giving it his all. Holland has two interceptions on
the year. Overall
The Titans are looking for their first win, and if they don't come up with one
against the Giants, they will start their third straight season with a 0-3 record.
The Giants are trying to regroup, and show they can still be a competitive team
after losing Jaxson Dart for the season, and a win here would be a good start..
NFC East Games
Sunday at 1:00pm Titans (0-2) at Giants (1-1)
Sunday
at 1:00pm Seahawks (2-0) at Commanders (0-2)
Sunday at 4:25pm Ravens (1-1)
at Cowboys (1-1)
Monday at 8:15pm Eagles (2-0) at Bears (1-1)
The Giants
and Eagles are the NFC East teams favored to win in these games.
Check out.
Giants
On The Air. Listen to the Radio Broadcasts.
TeamGiants on Twitter.
Next Games
Oct
4 Cardinals at Giants
Oct 11 Giants at Washington
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