After a tumultuous week, the Tennessee Titans (1-4) are set to travel to Orchard Park to take on the Buffalo Bills (4-2) at Highmark Stadium in Week 7 action.
There is no secret that the Titans are struggling to get going in 2024. Their offense has been anemic behind turnover-prone Will Levis and the defense tends to fade late in ballgames. Heading into a game against the high-powered Bills offense and a ball-hawking secondary, this could spell disaster.
Yet, for Titans fans, there are some reasons for optimism, and here are three of them.
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Titans rushing attack
The Titans will likely be without Tyjae Spears this week as he recovers from his hamstring injury. But, that will mean a bigger dose of Tony Pollard. Pollard has been the one constant for the struggling offense leading the team with 339 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He appears fully recovered from past injuries and has shown flashes of being the dynamic back of the past.
The Bills defense is tough against the pass but sits near the bottom of the NFL against the run. The Titans should employ another conservative run-oriented game plan to take advantage of this and protect Will Levis from the Bills secondary.
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Improved offensive line play
This by no way means that the offensive line is complete or close to the top of their game, but with the insertion of Leroy Watson at right tackle the unit showed improvement coming off the bye against the Indianapolis Colts. Not only did Levis have time to throw, they did not allow a sack for the first time in three seasons. The Bills will be without their top pass rusher Von Miller, who is serving a four-game suspension and the line could again take a step forward.
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Nick Folk
If there is one area where the Titans have a clear advantage in the game it is at kicker. Nick Folk has been perfect on the season, going 8-for-8 on field goals, with a long of 53 yards, and 10-for-10 on extra points. This is in sharp contrast to Bills kicker Tyler Bass, who has only connected on 75 percent of his attempts in 2024. Buffalo is so concerned about their erratic kicking situation that they added kicker Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad this week to compete with Bass. This may be a small advantage for the Titans, but it could be a critical one.