Tennessee faces a rainy reunion with Derrick Henry, requiring a dominant defensive front and mistake-free special teams to stifle Lamar Jackson’s high-powered offense in Baltimore.
Sunday is going to be a special game for the Tennessee Titans.
Derrick Henry is seeing his former team for the first time since leaving the franchise after the 2023 season.
Henry has been a major talking point this week, especially after he shared his perspective on what happened.
Much like Week 3, the Titans are going to be on the road again with rainy conditions.
The Titans are going to be mostly healthy. John Franklin-Myers (back) and Tony Pollard (foot) are both good to go. Tyjae Spears (ankle) and Kevin Winston Jr. (shoulder) are both game-time decisions.
Fernando Carmona and Jackson Slater are on the injured reserve. The Titans have to pick a starting right guard between Atonio Mafi, Nick Broeker and Drew Moss. Garrett Dellinger was supposed to be in the mix, but wound up on the injury report on Saturday with an illness.
The Baltimore Ravens are dealing with injuries as well.
Trey Hendrickson, Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic are all out. Zay Flowers, Ronnie Stanley, and Chris Moore are all questionable.
The Titans are walking into a brutal matchup as they will have the tough task of stopping Lamar Jackson and Henry. Here's how they can do themselves some favors on Sunday:
Defensive Line Has to Own Trenches
The Ravens have a very tough offense to stop.
They have Jackson under center, who has insane athleticism. Then there's Henry in the backfield, one of the toughest running backs to bring to the ground.
The Titans will need to dominate the line of scrimmage to have a chance in this game.
Containing Jackson on passing plays should be a priority, and so should making sure that they can get to Henry before he gets going. Once he gets a head of steam, Henry is nearly impossible to bring down.
Luckily for the Titans, the Ravens are injured on the offensive line.
Having a solid quarterback contain and owning the interior of the line will be huge for the Titans.
Correct Special Teams Mistakes
After having a solid year on special teams last year, the Titans have had multiple miscues with the unit so far.
Last week, Chimere Dike fumbled the opening kickoff and gave the New York Giants good field position. In the season opener, Dike fumbled a punt and nearly gave it up after recovering it.
Before that, kicker Joey Slye sent the opening kick out of bounds, giving the New York Jets a good start on their first drive.
Special teams may not seem like it, but dumb mistakes in that area can hurt your chances over the course of a game. The Titans need to limit the problems on special teams going forward and especially against a team like the Ravens who will capitalize.
Take Advantage of Ravens Defensive Woes
After being the defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh at the Los Angeles Chargers, the defense has been a problem for Minter at the Ravens.
The Titans offense has had its fair share of issues and needs to get right against a struggling Ravens defense.
The Ravens have allowed the second-most catches to opposing offenses this season. The rush defense is ranked 17th in yards allowed per attempt.
The Titans' offense hasn't been perfect, but the team could turn a corner against this Ravens defense.
