Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Will Levis NOW OR NEVER, Containing Josh Allen & Making Impact Plays a MUST

Episode Date: October 16, 2024

The Tennessee Titans head to Buffalo to take on the Bills and star quarterback Josh Allen in Week7 with their season hanging on by a thread. Will Levis has been awful so far this year and it is time for him to exercise his demons or hope that he can be the guy will be completely lost, if it isn't already. It isn't just the offense though, the Titans defense will need to contain Josh Allen and force him to throw from the pocket if they hope to force turnovers. Finally, at some point, someone just needs to make a play. Whether offense or defense(or preferably both), someone has to make a winning play late in the game.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started. ZbioticsGo to zbiotics.com/LOCKEDONNFL to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.PrizePicksDownload the app or click HERE and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelPlace your first FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.RobinhoodThe new gold standard is here with Robinhood Gold. Sign up at robinhood.com/gold Terms apply, for product specific disclosures visit robinhood.com/gold. Investing involves risk. Rate may change. Gold membership is offered by Robinhood Gold, LLC.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Can the Tennessee Titans get an upset in week seven against the Buffalo Bills? We're going to break that down for you here today on the Locked On Podcast Network. You are locked on NFL crossover, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome into this crossover Thursday episode of Locked on Bills and Locked on Titans. As always, a big thank you for being here. A thank you to our everydayers, those of you who never miss a single episode. We appreciate y'all being here very, very much, and we are a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

And of course, we'd love for you to subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Crossover Thursday is presented by PrizePix. Download the app and use code LOCKEDONNFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. I'm Joe Marino, host of Locked On Bills, joined by Tyler Rowland, the outstanding host of Locked On Titans. And we're here to get you ready for week seven, Bills hosting the Titans in Orchard Park. Welcome in, Tyler. Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Joe. I got to say, with hosting Locked On Titans and hosting Locked On NFL, it's nice to just sit back and let somebody else grab the wheel for a change. Hey, listen, glad to do it, my guy, and glad to have this conversation.

I'm excited to get your perspective on Tennessee. Interesting team, obviously, new coaching staff, a lot of aggressive moves this offseason, not off to a great start. So I want to get your thoughts on that here. We'll also get to the paths to victory for both teams. We'll talk Bills in segment two. But let's start with this Tennessee Titans team. In this passing offense, there's no way around it.

It's off to a very poor start. Dead last in the league in EPA per dropback. The net yards per attempt is shockingly low at 2.7, adjusted net yards per attempt. The Titans have veteran receivers, right? They've got Will Levis, a second-year quarterback. What's going wrong here for this passing offense so far in twenty twenty four? Well, Joe, you know, I hate to be reductive and blame it all on one person.

But at the end of the day, the quarterback play has not been good enough. Will Levis has simply not been good enough. And obviously he still hasn't started a full season of games. But he is a twenty five year old prospect who is an older guy anyway, the oldest quarterback in the AFC South. So I have a little bit less of, I guess, a leash on people who want to talk about, you know, he's a young quarterback. No, he's really not. And to me, it's more about, you know, science and male development than it is, you know, experience and things like that. But that's a science discussion for a different day. At the end of the day, I think that Will Levis's boneheaded turnovers early in the season have affected his confidence. And now he's wanting to get the ball out as quickly as possible. And he's not taking the shots down the field that he should be taking. And you look at the tape from this week,

there are guys open in the intermediate area and he's slow to get to it, which closes the window quicker. He's not letting it go when there are guys there. He's just playing super tentative and that's something that he wasn't doing last year. And really there's been, people have said that Will Levis has regressed this year under Brian Callahan. And quite honestly, I don't think that's true. I think last year he had a lot of positive turnover outcomes where there were turnover-worthy plays that just didn't go as bad as they could have gone for him. And he was protected by the scheme that Mike Vrabel was running with the heavy play action and the run game.

And Brian Callahan is asking him to be a part of that quick timing passing scheme, and he's just not seeing things clearly right now and processing things quick enough. And Brian Callahan said this week, there are plays called that we want to go downfield and the ball is not going downfield. And he's telling you out loud, like, I'm calling the plays to attack and Levis is just not taking those opportunities. So I think right now you look at the Titans offense, the run game has been pretty solid.

You know, it's middle of the road. There are guys getting open. You look at the separation data, especially against single coverage. Calvin Ridley has taken a lot of heat. He's in the top three in the NFL in separation and single coverage. At the end of the day, Will Levis is just not playing the position very well right now. Can he turn that around?

Maybe, but, you know, it's getting late early. Whenever Brian Callahan was introduced as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, I was pretty excited to listen to his press conference, his introductory press conference. And I'm listening to him talk. And I liked a lot of what he said, except, except for, and there's a, there's a layer to this that I want to get to the part that had me concerned was when he was talking about the style of offense that they wanted to be. And he said, you know what, we are going to be a precision passing offense predicated on route depth and timing. And I thought to myself, Will Levis is your quarterback?

That ain't him. And I just thought it was a very bad fit for Will Levis in terms of scheme. And I think there's probably better schemes for Will Levis, but this is what Brian Callahan wants to be. And so on Locked On NFL Scouting, the other podcast that I host as part of the Locked On Podcast Network, I had a bold bet for the Titans this year that said, I predict that at some point in the 2024 season that Will Levis is going to be benched by choice and that Mason Rudolph will start a game.

And Titans fans didn't like when I said that. There was a lot of pushback. And I mean, honestly, I think if they had the opportunity to burn my house down, they probably would based on the feedback that I got, but I'm not here to spike the ball, right? I'm not here to spike the ball, but I think those concerns were very real. Do you think this is a situation where the scheme fit is just so bad for Will Levis? Who's not a timing player. He's an action figure that can run and do all these dynamic things. You want him to play with some creativity as a playmaker. You don't ask him to hit his back foot and get the ball out. Can we salvage this? Is Brian Callahan putting

Will Levis in the right opportunities to unlock the best parts of his game? I would say yes and no. I think you're 100% right that the timing-based, precision-based passing game is not going to go to Will Levis' strengths, but I feel like Will Levis has to thread the needle there of he has to be able to do some of that to win at this level. He's not the creator and the playmaker that Josh Allen is, who a lot of people wanted to compare him to, which I think is absurd at the end of the day. He doesn't have that sort of of intuition he doesn't have that natural quarterback feel to him where he can play make and make good decisions in those situations I always say that Will Levis plays quarterback like a linebacker who was taught to play quarterback that's the way he has no feel

no instincts in the pocket so I think that it would be better for him to play the way that you described. But at some point in time, you have to be able to play a little bit of the other style too. And maybe Brian Callahan is asking too much of that. But if Will Levis is completely incapable of adapting some of that into his game, then he's never going to be the level of quarterback that he has to be to win at this level. So in that battle of, you know, go with Callahan scheme, do what's best for Will Levis. I don't think that Will Levis is a good enough prospect to go completely away. I trust Brian Callahan more than Will Levis is what I'm trying

to say. So if it goes to, Hey, Will Levis cannot adapt to these things. I would rather get rid of Will Levis and get someone who that is more natural to them and follow Brian Callahan down the path. I would rather hold Brian Callahan's hand and walk down the path than hold Will Levis' going forward. Well, that's the beauty of having a second round pick invested in him and not a first, is you're not overly tied there. Let's move away from Will Levis. I know that's obviously a big talking point with the Tennessee Titans, but I'm curious to get your thoughts on this offensive line. A lot of young players, a lot of recent high picks, JC Latham, Peter Skowronski.

They gave money to Lloyd Cushenberry to come over and be the center. Obviously, everyone's excited about Bill Callahan being the offensive line coach and, of course, the free agent pickup of Tony Pollard. Talk to me about this offensive line in this run game. I think they're really coming together. JC Latham outside of week one against Daryl Taylor, who, you know, is a good athlete. I think Latham struggles more against speed guys. I think that was something that people expected coming out of college, but Latham has been, you know, pretty solid the last few weeks. The Titans are pretty good in the run game as well, especially on that left-hand side. I think there's a big issue at right tackle, and that's not going to be solved this season, but Dylan Radins, in my opinion, has always been a low-level starting offensive lineman. I think

Mike Vrabel just did not like his work ethic as a person, but overall, the Titans offensive line has been solid for the last two weeks. They didn't give up a sack for the first time in two years last week, and a lot of that is Will Levis is just getting the ball out as quick as possible to avoid that pressure. But it's not a great offensive line, but they have improved, and with all the youth on the offensive line and the newness, I think they're going to continue to improve. It's not as bad of a unit as it's been the last two years. Let's talk about this defense, Tyler.

Metrically, it's outstanding, and they've obviously made a lot of investments in that side of the football. It feels like it's outstanding and they've obviously made a lot of investments in that side of the football. It feels like it's working well. I know maybe the schedule hasn't quite challenged this defense, but what are you, what are your thoughts here? Is it, is it a legit top five type defense or are there some chinks in the armor? You know, honestly, I don't think they're a great defense. I think they're a good defense. I think playing some of the offenses that they've played the jets, but with Nathaniel Hackett, obviously not great. Caleb Williams is improved, but rookie quarterback week one, they usually struggle.

Shane Waldron wasn't scripting the first 15 for a couple of the first few weeks. According to DJ Moore, that's peculiar to me, so I think that matters. Miami's JV team, obviously not an offense that matters. I's JV team, obviously not an offense that matters. I think that this defense is good, but the lack of pass rush, they just do not get pressure on the quarterback, and that is the number one most important thing for defense for me, philosophically.

If they don't get pressure on the quarterback consistently, you put so much strain on the secondary, no matter how talented it is, you're not going to be a defense that's able to force turnovers, which is so critical in the modern NFL, especially as offensive play starts to pick back up here. So I think the Titans are a good defense. I just don't think they're a great defense, which the numbers would tell you right now.

All right, folks, coming up on the other side of it, we're going to focus the conversation on the home team, the Buffalo Bills. Be sure to stick with us. For most of us that like collecting cards, the idea of spending two grand or more on a Josh Allen rookie card just isn't in the cards. I love collecting, but that's some serious money to drop. Thanks to slab packs from arenaclub.com,

now it's possible to score gem mints for a fraction of the retail price. Arena Club is the only repack that provides real value, a complete view of all possible cards, and clear hit rates for each one. Arena Club slab packs are revolutionizing the repack game with transparency. After your polls are revealed, they'll immediately be placed in your showroom for safekeeping, selling, trading, or auction. The Arena Club grading process is accurate, fast, and transparent, with a full grade rationale provided and explanation of how your card was scored.

Whether you're buying, selling, trading, or displaying, Arena Club is the card collecting platform you've got to check out. So right now, folks, check it out. You can get 10% off your first slab pack or card purchase by going to arenaclub.com slash locked on NFL and use code locked on NFL. That's arenaclub.com slash locked on NFL and use code locked on NFL for 10% off your purchase. Folks, purchasing tickets, it can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. And it isn't if you have the GameTime app. GameTime is the fast and easy way to purchase tickets for all the sports, music, comedy,

and theater events near you. I love the app, man. It's awesome. It's easy to navigate. You can get flash deals. They give you a picture from your seat so you know exactly what to expect. You can turn on the all-in prices, which I love. There's no surprise fees coming to you at the end. And plus, they specialize in last-minute ticket specials. Look, all these concerts are being announced right now for next year. I don't know if I can go, but on game time, I can make that purchase decision right up until the day of the event and get a great deal. So check it out. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets

with game time. Download the game time app, create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again, create an account and redeem code locked on NFL. That's L O C K E D O N NFL for $20 off download gameTime today. What time is it?

It's GameTime. All right. Crossover Thursday continues. Tyler, the floor is yours, my friend. Absolutely, because I have some questions. And I have the tendency to watch a lot of Buffalo Bills games. They played some primetime games, which obviously I'm up covering for, for locked on NFL. My number one question for you.

And just my observation is the explosive plays within this offense. I mean, right now, Buffalo 9.5% explosive play rate. That's really middle of the packets below the Denver Broncos, which is kind of surprising to see what is going on with this offense to where they're not able to create explosive plays at maybe the rate that they have in previous seasons. Is it just the Stefan Diggs absence?

And that's why they go out and get Amari Cooper. Obviously that's a big move or is there more to it than that? Yeah, it's a good question, Tyler. And I think the Stefan Diggs is part of that equation, but it's the transition, right? It's the, it's the newness around Josh Allen, where the only receiver on this team entering the season that's ever played in a game with Josh Allen was Kalil Shakir. Everyone else is new. And you have Joe Brady in his first year as the offensive play caller, obviously the interim label last year, but certainly implementing his new scheme you've got a couple of new spots on the offensive line a new running back to incorporate and so I think

he just had a lot of new around Josh Allen and part of the challenge with getting explosive plays is is being able to win down the field and the Bills just didn't have a lot of verticality with the weapons that they have at their disposal. In fact, I think most of their explosive plays down the field have been rail routes to running backs, Ray Davis and James Cook, and even trying to get Curtis Samuel going on some of that stuff as a guy lined up out of the backfield. And so they have not been able to consistently beat man coverage on the perimeter, which I think is a big reason why they went out and traded for Amari Cooper. So it's a matter of it all coming together.

And down the field throws are the ones that take the longest to develop that chemistry. And I feel like you're watching Josh Allen with weapons that, quite frankly, at times it looks like they're in their fifth or sixth game together. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I know that Keon Coleman, while, you know, some like Keon Coleman, there were some concerns about his ability to separate. So it makes sense that maybe that's something that they're struggling with.

In the ground game, though, at least in my opinion, this seems like one of the better offensive lines that the Bills have had during the Josh Allen era. Would you say that that's the case? And even if that is the case, are there any weaknesses on that offensive line that you think the Titans defensive line could exploit? Yeah, that's a great question. And I think last year, the Bills offensive line really kind of came into its own second year under

Aaron Cromer, who's a terrific offensive line coach. And now this is year three, and you've got a lot of pieces in place that have been there. And even David Edwards, the new starter, he was with Aaron Cromer for multiple seasons with the Rams before he was now the Bills starting left guard. And so a lot of continuity, a lot of familiarity with what they want to get done. And then it's just been about evolving the run scheme and taking advantage of a unique mix of skill sets where their tackles, Deion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, they're both handsomely paid tackles. They can really run. They're very, very athletic. And so they get them going on poles and out in space and they build a lot of their run

scheme around that. And then you've got really physical guys on the inside that can create displacement and anchor. And so when you have that combination of athleticism and then power, you can really do a lot with both zone and gap run. So they become this very blended run scheme that just really works. And their ideas and the way that they get to their blocks is very, very cohesive. And so it's coming along nicely. So that that's been really, really strong.

I think where you can get to the bills offensive line is with creative pressure looks. Uh, the bills are allowing a lot of pressure on Josh Allen this year, and it's not because offensive linemen are getting cooked one-on-one it's because the protection scheme is failing where there might be some overload looks, or you do some simulated pressures, you have some loopers and you stress that ability for them to communicate and pass protection. And the bills are very willing to allow free runners at Josh Allen and say, Josh Allen, you figure it out, right? They're very willing to do that. And I think that's where the bills went. Their high pressure rate really stems from a lot of creative defensive looks, and then mixing up how you're going to attack the pocket, stressing that communication.

And I think where they really kind of have issues is the help blockers, the tight ends, the backs, and when they want to max protect, when they want to block for five. I think if you can cause some confusion and conflict there, that's where you can really have some success affecting the quarterback against the Bills. Well, I think that's what Denard Wilson is good at as well on defense. So it'll be interesting to see exactly. The Titans haven't quite blitzed as much as I thought that they would. And that probably has to do with the schedule that they've played so far. But will be interesting how they do that here. This is the first elite quarterback that they're going to go up against. So can't wait. Looking at the defensive

side of the ball, obviously that defensive line has been fantastic. And I think Von Miller may be the only household name on that D line. But, I mean, you got Gregory Russo and Ed Oliver and AJ Espinosa. Just, I guess, talk about how great that unit has been so far this year at getting pressure on the quarterback. And, you know, I know that the Bills lost a couple of games before this bounce back win against the jets. Did the pass rush have anything to do with those struggles? I think the bills are able to get some timely

pressure. I don't know that they necessarily have a bunch of guys that you think, wow, they're going to go and consistently win one-on-one. Uh, they've been without Ed Oliver the last few weeks and he's a, he's a big part of the interior there. Maybe he'll be back. He's had a hamstring injury. Von Miller is suspended. He's had a really good start to the season, but he won't be available for this game. And so they've been leaning on Greg Russo, who was a first-round pick,

who's a really good, like, long arm, heavy hands, can compress the pocket, create a lot of pressure. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, but is he a sack artist you know i don't know if that's really the case uh duan smooth a good rotational inside outside guy that i'm sure you're familiar with with his time in jacksonville and um epinesa is a nice heavy hands he had a couple cb tyrant smith twice on monday night so like it's not necessarily that there's one guy that's going to be okay this, this is your problem. It's probably the sum of all of it that, that kind of makes it difficult.

And they rush, they're pretty disciplined rush group that really does a good job of cage rushing and creating pressure from multiple angles to kind of just keep that quarterback at their spot and see if you can't get to them. So they're, they're a good pressure team. And I think their sack percentages are pretty high, but it's not necessarily one guy. I think it's the rotation and depth, both inside and outside, that allows them to be that. Well, that makes a lot of sense. I do want to transition to the secondary

because the Bills lost a lot of, again, like household names, Jordan Boyer, Micah Hyde, even a guy like Tredavious White, who's been gone now. But the secondary still seems to be playing decently as well. I noticed that the bills are more of a cover three, cover two team. They don't run as much cover four as maybe other teams do. And in my opinion, you watch a lot of cover four. There's like match elements to it, where after a while you just want to match with what the route is. And you know, it's not a traditional standard set cover four. Is that typical of Sean McDermott's defense,

or is he doing that to kind of help some of these unheralded defensive backs where we don't want you to have to make a lot of decisions during the play? We just want you to play your zone as it's called. Yeah, I think it's been very traditional Sean McDermott style of defense. And the two corners, like Christian Benford or rasul douglas is a really good pair of corners and i think christian benford's a name that that the nfl world's got to get to know i mean he's playing at an extremely high level uh and then rasul douglas a veteran in the league that's a good fit for this zone match type defense yeah it worked out really well and taryn johnson

obviously one of the best slot corners in the league so where where things are different really is the safety position uh where poyer and hyde are slot corners in the league. So where, where things are different really is the safety position, uh, where Poyer and Hyde are no longer in the mix. And they've kind of been like the guys right in Buffalo for a long time. And obviously they've had some age on them and Hyde's not playing. And Poyer, I think it's really been struggling in Miami. So they get DeMar Hamlin. Everybody knows him, right?

He's a starter. He's okay. He's not a great player, but he's fine. And then Taylor Rapp is kind of their new guy where he's kind of become the playmaker back there. So it's not the household names that have been the reason for good pass defense in Buffalo, but some up-and-coming players and really the two guys that you got to know about, Taron Johnson and Christian Benford, they're playing at a high level and probably having their respective

best seasons. Maybe Taron last year because he was hurt, but coming back, he had a huge impact against the Jets, and that makes the Bills defense a lot better. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Sean McDermott just always gets the best out of that secondary. It seemed like he just made a bet that he could make that happen, and he's absolutely doing it. He's made a career out of it, whether it's been Josh Norman in Carolina or some of those guys in Philly. He's really good with coaching the defensive backfield. All right, folks, on the other side of it,

we're going to focus in on what each team needs to do to get a dub on Sunday. Be sure to stick with us. Hey, NFL fans, you can start the season with a big return on FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. Tyler, I've really had fun on FanDuel with the in-game betting. Like, you can bet live, and so, like, I'll be watching the Bills game, and they'll say, okay, on the next drive, will this player catch a pass catch a pass or like what will the result of the drive be and i've been racking

up pretty good it's been fun and i love the props like being able to know these teams and then think okay like over under three and a half catches or the receiving yards and kind of parlaying that together having a lot of fun over on fan doing the layout is really cool because you can see all of that data in the same place where you placed the bet, as I just said. So check it out. And they've got a great deal for you here. This is incredible. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed

when you place your first $5 bet. Check it out, folks. That's FanDuel.com to download America's number one sportsbook. Crossover Thursday is presented by PrizePix. Go to prizepix.com slash LockedOnNFL and use code LockedOnNFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. I'm Joe Marino, host of LockedOnBills,

joined by Tyler Rowland, the host of LockedOnTitans. And it's time to talk about the path to victory for each side of the equation. Tyler, the Tennessee Titans come into Orchard Park, pretty heavy underdogs. What do they got to do? What do they got to do to get this win? Well, I think number one, they have to run the football with success. If they don't do that, then they're going to put too much pressure on Will Levis, and he's not playing his best football. I think number two,

they have to contain Josh Allen in the pocket. Going back to that game against Houston, watching Allen kind of struggle with some accuracy at times. I think you don't want to let Josh Allen out of the pocket and let him play make and do what he does so well naturally. I think you hem him in the pocket and make him kind of 10, 12 play drives, be accurate, be consistent over and over and over again all the way down the pocket and make him kind of 10, 12 play drives,

be accurate, be consistent over and over and over again, all the way down the field and hope for a mistake. And at the end of the day, the Titans got to pray. You know, like the Buffalo Bills are just a lot better football team. And I say pray tongue in cheek, of course. But really, the third thing is they got to force turnovers. The only way that turnovers are the great equalizer in football. A team can upset another team if they win the turnover battle.

So if the Titans are able to force, you know, two or three turnovers and protect the ball on their end, they're going to set themselves up with short fields. They're going to take away scoring opportunity from the Bills, who are probably going to drive the ball down the field with more consistency.

So for me, if the Titans run the football, they contain Josh Allen in the pocket and make him play with precision and accuracy consistently, and then ultimately win the turnover battle by a significant margin, they'll be able to pull off a big upset, which the Titans and Bills have played some tight games. The Titans have pulled some upsets on the Bills in recent years, but that last matchup did not go that way, and this is a different Titans team, so I think if they do those three things, they give themselves a chance, but I think it's quite an uphill battle for the Titans to win this one. No, the Bills will be excited to get back home. They just finished a three-game stretch of all

road games at Houston, at Baltimore, at the Jets. This is their first home game in a while. And so I'm sure there'll be quite excited to be back in Orchard Park. And you mentioned turnovers. I agree with you that the Titans are going to need some things to go their way to get this win. Surprisingly, the Bills have been really good at taking care of the football. They've only had two giveaways this year, and they were both lost fumbles. Josh Allen hasn't thrown an interception. It's not because there hasn't been catchable passes to be intercepted but they got to catch him right so that's part of the deal he's had some good interception luck which maybe you know as you mentioned with will levis last year like that can happen where yeah you you could have a lot more interceptions if the other team caught it so i do agree with you that that's part of part of the equation here for

tennessee and obviously running the football and the bills structurally with the way to play defense they give a lot of light boxes. They're very much focused on taking away explosives down the field and they'll give you light boxes. They gave the Jets 76% light boxes, six or fewer. They did the same thing with Baltimore. Baltimore, Tyler! So the ground game could be there. It's about can you finish? Can you finish drives? And so it'll be fun to kind of see how that plays itself out. I'm sure this Titans team is looking to

find some momentum here and see if they can scratch and claw. Obviously, Houston looks good in that division, but I'm not sure anyone else does. Why not be the second place team and see if you can give Houston a run? From the Bills side of things, Tyler, I got three things written down. You mentioned earlier

in our conversation the pivot, if you will, to getting the ball out of Will Levis' hands quickly, the quick passing game. I'll tell you what, that's not been something the Bills have been very good at defending. I think this is going to be a good challenge for them. Obviously, there's good weapons here. They have good skill players in Tennessee. Tight end Chig and Pollard and three good receivers. They're good players.

Give you some numbers here that might get you excited if you're a Titans fan. So far this season, the Bills are allowing 55.8% of all passing yards to come after the catch. That's the sixth highest percentage in the NFL. They're giving up a ton of yards after catch, despite the eighth lowest average depth of target. The Bills defense is 25th in EPA on throws under 10 air yards with the highest average separation at four and a half yards. Where the Bills defense is shaky is this quick passing game, perimeter throws, get the ball out quick into the hands of playmakers and make it a space game. And teams

have had success doing that against Buffalo. And I think you still need to have some threat of verticality to your offense. But if Tennessee can stress the Bills' defense in that way, I think that's going to go a long way in maybe exposing an area of concern for the Bills and maybe leaning into something that Tennessee does want to be. Number two, I have written down, you've got to be ready for a physical defensive front. This Devondre Sweat dude's good, man. Jeffrey Simmons is good. There's some nice players in

this front. I mean, you think about even Sebastian Joseph Day's a veteran. Ernest Jones is a good downhill backer. So there's some players here in this front and defensively, I mean, all the metrics are good for Tennessee. And so, you know, the bills want to run the football. And I think this is a physical front that is going to be an interesting challenge. And especially a guy like to Vondre sweat, who to me, he's a math changer. What I mean by that is he changed, like you talk about playing light boxes. You're not, it's never a light box when to Vondre sweats in there, right? That guy's an animal, a really good looking young player. So it got to be ready for this physical defensive front that you can't't take lightly and then i think number three is take your chances

with these corners you know the bills are looking to kind of like you mentioned earlier kind of get some explosive plays going in the passing game they just traded for amari cooper kind of interested to see what his role is going to be on sunday but man legeria sneed has not looked good and can you continue that i mean mean, Sneed's been unbelievable. His time with the Chiefs against the Bills, he pretty much just took Stephon Diggs off the menu, right? You couldn't complete a pass on this guy. He looks like a shell of himself. Well, you might want to try that out. And I'll tell you what, Jarvis Brownlee, I'm a big fan of him. He's still a rookie, right? You might want to try that out. So

you have some opportunities here in the passing game that I think as you're trying to get your perimeter threats going, you might have some good opportunities to test that out and see if you can get some chemistry established with Josh Allen and really his brand new wide receiver core that continues to be brand new. Yeah. Well, the Titans play a lot of cover four or two, and I think that stresses the cornerbacks. You got, you gotta be able to play your side you know what I mean and you got to stay with them vertically and it just requires a lot of during the play processing and I've seen at least like last week there were coverage issues where hey am I taking this guy are you taking this guy in the past the Titans have had

problems with that. I mean, I know it was Shane Bowen's defense, not Denard Wilson's, but you're just asking a lot of cornerbacks when you're playing like cover for man like that. And I think that it does create some indecision. And if you can get a guy with some speed,

maybe Keon Coleman won't take advantage, but if Amari Cooper is out there and maybe some wheel routes, like the Titans had a touchdown because they were playing cover four and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. stayed with the post, but then the wheel route came behind it and nobody was home. You're just going to get yourself in bad positions if you weren't really playing coordinated defense

and everybody understands. And when you have a young player like Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in there, there could be some indecision. And even LeJarrius Sneed as well has struggled with some of those during the play processing moments. There was a deep corner out by Joe Flacco last week that was

wide open where Sneed didn't bail off the inside guy quick enough to get back to it. So Buffalo will probably have the opportunity to take advantage of those. A lot of those haven't hit because quarterbacks have been inaccurate. But if Josh Allen can put it on them, there are some chances for big plays because of the way the Titans like to play defense. I'm really interested in this Titans defense because the Bills have –

the Baltimore Ravens, like obviously that coaching staff, that defensive coaching staff has been depleted. And the Bills have played all of them. They played Miami, so Anthony Weaver from Baltimore went to Miami. They played Baltimore, of course, like Zach Orr, who's their defensive coordinator, part of that staff. This week, they get Denard Wilson, who's part of that Raven staff. And next week they get Mike McDonald with Seattle. So this has been just an absolute tour of the Ravens defensive scheme. So you'd like to think they've had a lot of ideas and opportunities to kind of see what they can do.

And we'll see if the Titans metrically continue to be a great defense. It'll be a fun game. And folks, we have you covered before and after right here on Locked On Bills, Locked On Titans, Locked On NFL, Locked On NFL Scouting. A lot of podcasts between Tyler and I here on the Locked On Podcast Network. So make sure that you check them all out.

Make them your first, second, third, and fourth. Listen every single day. We got you covered pre and post game for Tyler Rowland I'm Joe Marino thanks for being here everybody and we'll be back again for you real real soon