Tennessee Titans vs Detroit Lions
The 1-0 Detroit Lions will host the 0-1 Tennessee Titans in a fun and exciting Week 2 NFL matchup. Detroit narrowly defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 39-35 in Week 1.
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Matthew Stafford played well for the Lions, with running back Ameer Abdullah being an impact player as both a runner and a receiver. Offensively, the Lions were great. However, they did struggle defensively.
If the Lions’ defensive struggles continue, they may be in for a long season. Stafford looked great, but this is not an explosive offense that can carry the team all season long.
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The Titans were not as lucky in Week 1, falling to the Minnesota Vikings 25-16. Marcus Mariota played well at times, including two touchdown passes to running back DeMarco Murray. However, the Vikings were able to turn two Titans’ turnovers into touchdowns.
One was a Mariota interception that was returned 77 yards for a touchdown. The other was botched handoff between Mariota and Murray that was returned 24 yards for a touchdown.
Those two plays were the difference between a win and a loss for Tennessee. They simply must cut down on the mistakes going forward.
The Lions and Titans will face off in Week 2. Here is everything that you need to know about watching the upcoming game.
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, MI
Venue: Ford Field
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: Directv NFL Sunday Ticket
Keys to Victory
The biggest key for the Titans will be establishing the run. They made moves this off season to become a power rushing attack, and they will be at their best with Murray and rookie Derrick Henry carrying the load.
Mariota is great, but the Titans need to pound the ball against an exploitable Lions’ defense to come away with victory in this game.
The Titans will likely try to keep the ball out of Stafford’s hands. He looked great in Week 1 and has an opportunity to have a big-time season, but we have seen him have success before. Is this a new Stafford, or will he remain unreliable?
Stafford may get relatively limited opportunities if the Titans can run the ball successfully, but he needs to make the most out of them.
With Abdullah, Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Eric Ebron and Theo Reddick at his disposal, the Lions have the makings of an explosive offensive attack. If they are going to win on Sunday, outscoring the Titans with a successful passing game will be the key.
The Titans’ defense can be beaten through the air.
Betting Odds
Vegas has the Lions as five and a half point favorites over the Titans at home. This may seem a bit high on the surface, but the two teams’ Week 1 performances certainly come into play here.
The Lions looked great last week and deserve respect, especially on their home field. However, I think the Titans can easily make this a closer game than expected.
Prediction
Are these two teams heading in opposite directions? The Titans may not be supremely talented, but they have the horses to control the clock in this game. If they stick to their rushing attack, I think they could keep this low scoring and close.
In the end, I struggle to pick against the Lions here, but I think this is a closer matchup talent wise than it immediately appears. Stafford leads the Lions to a late-game win.
Pick: Detroit Lions 24, Tennessee Titans 20